~The Greatest Truth Ever Told~
~Opening Prayer of Dedication~ Dearest, Unspeakably Sweet and Precious Lord Jesus, I ask, in Your Holy and ALL-Powerful Name, that You would please open our hearts and minds of as we read what is written here. I pray, please, that You clearly and unmistakably, reveal Yourself to us. I pray that we would all, sweet LORD, accept Your divine invitation to have an intimate, deeply personal relationship with You. LORD, please let us see You for the way that You truly are. LORD, please let us see that You are holy and pure. You are all that is divine, true, and righteous. LORD, let us see Your love. Let us see a love that knows no boundaries, no limitations, and whose breadth and width is eternally incalculable. LORD, You willingly came to die and save us from our sins. LORD, You love us so much that if **only one** person in the entire human race genuinely accepted Your gift of salvation ** that You would willingly and without hesitation ** die and suffer in the very same manner for that one single, individual person. May each one of us truly ponder and contemplate what You willingly and knowingly endured for us. LORD, in no way, shape, or form do I claim that what I have shared here is perfect or even close to 100% accurate. LORD, I am sharing, to the best of my ability, the message I believe that You have laid on my heart. A message about the appreciative hope that the experiences of Your last few days on Earth have given me.....and why Your Sacrifice means so much to me. I want to share with everyone I can why I love You so much. I want to convey why You mean more than anything (and everything) to me. I want to share why it is that my next breath is not worth breathing unless You are totally involved it. You are my life. You are my love. You are all that I need, want, or could even fathom having in my wildest dreams. You have loved me and given me a joy and a peace that only You alone could be responsible for. LORD, I know no words that can adequately describe or truly define what You and Your Kindness mean to me. None whatsoever. LORD, please use this material to Your Glory and Your Glory Alone. LORD, thank You for all that You are and all that You have done With all my heart, I love You, Jesus. It is in Your Precious and Powerful Name I pray, Amen. ~The Greatest Truth Ever Told~ ~JESUS - MORE THAN "A GREAT STORY"~ Most people will define a traditional or conventional "Story" as a fictional, imaginative piece of literature. Or refer to it as a repetitious monologue of a past, current, or possible future event. Classic or popular "Stories" often contain a certain degree of accepted truth. Yet they are known to be characterized by various levels of illustrative embellishment. Many refer to the Biblical Account of Jesus' Life as one of the "Greatest STORIES ever told." While researching online material concerning the events occurring during the last week of Jesus' Life, I came across a website that advertised the sale of Christian and Religious Literature. One of the offered selections was a documentary about the last week of Jesus' Life. This selection touted Jesus' Life as "one of the most popular pieces of traditional literature" that is read and accepted by most people. The advertisement continued to describe various stages of Jesus' Life in a fictional light. Suggesting that the Life of Jesus was more of a fairy tale; not something to be taken seriously. The blase advertisements and sales descriptions that were publicized on this website are indicative of the prevalent "frame of mind" that a large amount of our population hold when they consider the Biblical Account of Jesus. Most consider the Biblical Account of Jesus to be "subjective and fallible." Even "Christians" are openly questioning the genuineness and the validity of Biblical Record of Christ. This viewpoint is an alarmingly sad testament to how the "average Christian" truly views the Savior they claim to believe in. When you consider what lengths Jesus, the Savior of humanity, went to so that He could eternally procure our salvation and then notice how many people refuse to believe in Him; it is truly astounding! So many refuse to believe that He *ACTUALLY* endured, suffered, and tolerated what the Bible says He did. Deceitful advertisements, skewed television documentaries, and lukewarm "religiosity" are directly responsible for this degrading and debauched position held by so many. These irreverent ideologies clearly undermine the true profundity of Jesus' Life. They take away from its message of perfection, purity, and absolute truth. It causes His Sacrifice that He so willingly and lovingly suffered for humanity to seem utterly meaningless and valueless. Everything He endured is not only accurate but is totally authentic! What Jesus endured and experienced during His Life, is the only *INFALLIBLE TRUTH* that sinful humanity has had so clearly revealed to them by God. As a result, I have decided to title this section about the last week of Jesus' Life as "The Greatest *TRUTH* Ever Told" rather than the "Greatest *STORY* Ever Told." Without the *TRUTH* of Jesus, we would have no *TRUE* hope of salvation. We will begin this section by following Jesus as He is entering Jerusalem on what is commonly referred to as "Triumphal Entry." Thank you for reading!
~The Triumphal Entry~ ~"THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY"~ Most of us know that the "Triumphal Entry" of Jesus was when He rode into Jerusalem just 1 week prior to His Death and Resurrection. We know that He rode in on a donkey (and colt) and that people threw their outer garments and palm branches before them as tokens of praise and worship. Most of us celebrate the "Triumphal Entry" on "Palm Sunday." Which is the Sunday that comes 1 week before Easter. Jesus' majestic, triumphal entry into Jerusalem was one of the crowning moments of His earthly ministry. Jesus, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies written several thousand years before His earthly life, was going to triumphantly ride into Jerusalem as their King. Jesus' Triumphal entry, was the climatic moment in which His Deity, Kingship, and Majesty would be so clearly declared that no one would be able to successfully challenge the sovereignty of the moment. Jewish history is a long sequence of freedoms intertwined with captivity to other nations. The Jewish people were currently under Roman rule and longed to be free again. They believed that when Messiah came, he would deliver them from the Romans and set them free. The Triumphal Entry occurred during one of the most notable and meaningful events on the Jewish Calendar; the Feast of Passover. The Passover Feast was when the Jewish people celebrated God’s miraculous deliverance of Israel from the Egyptians under the leadership of Moses. Crowds of traveling pilgrims traveled to the holy city of Jerusalem for this annual event. Religious fervor and zeal was high. Part of the Messianic hope was that God would send another one like Moses to deliver his people. And now here comes Jesus, a prophet widely known for His miracles and teaching, walking the road to Jerusalem along with His disciples and a growing crowd of fellow pilgrims. It is at this point that we will pick up with the Biblical Account of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus. ~THE KING UPON A DONKEY AND COLT~ Jesus and His Disciples came to the cities of Bethphage and Bethany,which were located on the southeast outskirts of Jerusalem. They had traveled there so that they could prepare to partake of and be involved in the Passover Festival which was about to begin. Jesus decided to send Peter and John, two of His closest disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a donkey tied there and a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie them and bring them to Me." If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying the donkey and colt?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' " Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as He had told them. As they were untying the donkey and the colt, the owners asked them, "Why are you untying them? "The disciples replied, "The Lord needs it." And immediately the owners agreed to let the disciples use them. This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, 'BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.' " (Zechariah 9:9). They brought the donkey and the colt to Jesus, laid their coats on them; and put Jesus on top of the coats since they did not have a saddle. He was now prepared to ride into Jerusalem in all of His Majesty. The reason for the use of two animals is not clear, unless it was Jesus' strict attention to the prophecy which mentioned both the donkey and the colt. He gave the proud Pharisees no excuse for not recognizing the fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy. This is the week that He entered the city of Jerusalem to suffer and die for the sins of the world. But you would hardly know it from the amazing reception He received as He entered the city. Yet as we will soon discover, His entry would not consist of expected theatrical pomp and flare. Rather Jesus would present His Messianic Kingship with humbleness, meekness and lowliness. Many people refused to recognize Jesus as their King for this very reason. They idealistically envisioned that their "true king" would enter Jerusalem with imperial majesty. His person would be so regal and so omnipotent, that every person there would instinctively know to bow to him. Their king would be seated on a strong stallion; a majestic warrior horse whose every step resounded with dynamic authority. He would be the epitome of perfection and power. Their king would immediately establish his reign by successfully conquering and destroying the Roman empire with a holy vengeance. The Jews believed that their "true king" would free them from all Roman oppression. When the people then saw the humble state which Jesus rode in on, they were not pleased. He did not match their ideologies of what constituted a "king." They did not realize that they were gazing upon pure, majestic perfection....right in the Face. They failed to realize that Jesus was truly the greatest King they would ever behold. He is, after all, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Most of the crowd, that day, still celebrated Jesus' entry, but only received Him as a miracle-working prophet, not their true Messiah King. ~JESUS, THE MESSIAH~ Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem accompanied by the waving of palm branches, the cheering of the crowds and great anticipation. If you were a visitor to Jerusalem on this day, unfamiliar with Jesus’ life and teachings, you would probably be wondering what this was all about. Well, let’s take a closer look at this passage and find out for ourselves. The first thing we learn from this passage is that at the triumphal entry Jesus presented himself as Messiah. The Messiah was the coming Deliverer that God had promised to the Jewish people many years before. The entire Old Testament looked forward to the coming of Messiah, and Messianic expectation ran high among the Jewish people of Jesus’ day. There was already wide conjecture that Jesus might be the Messiah. Jesus had already told His disciples that He was. Now as He prepares to enter Jerusalem at the beginning of this holy week, Jesus presents himself as Messiah to all the people of Jerusalem. ~HOW DID JESUS PRESENT HIMSELF AS MESSIAH?~ ~Mount of Olives~ We see above that Jesus began the Triumphal Entry by descending from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives was more than just a geographical marker. The Mount of Olives had Messianic implications. When Ezekiel in the Old Testament prophesied to the Jewish exiles who were held captive in Babylon, he prophesied about the restoration of Israel to the land even as he beheld in a vision the glory of the Lord departing from the Temple and then from Jerusalem. We read in Ezekiel 11:23: “The glory of the LORD went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it.” This was the Mount of Olives. It marked the departure of God’s glory from Jerusalem. Later in Ezekiel’s vision he sees the glory of the Lord returning to Jerusalem from the east (Ezekiel 43:1), implying that God’s glory would re-enter Jerusalem at the Mount of Olives even as it had left. And so the people expected that when Messiah came to deliver them, He would come from the Mount of Olives. It was no accident that Jesus began His entry into Jerusalem from the east at this very location. He was intentionally, deliberately presenting Himself as Messiah. ~The Tethered Colt and Donkey~ A second detail of significance is the tethered [tied up] colt [and donkey]. There are two things important about this colt [and donkey]. The first thing is that they were tied up. Now that may not seem significant to us at first, but it would have had significance to the Jewish people of Jesus’ day, steeped in the Old Testament scriptures and fervently waiting for Messiah. You might wonder, “What does a tethered colt [and donkey] have to do with the Messiah?” Well, one of the earliest prophesies about Messiah comes in the book of Genesis in chapter 49. Jacob was an old man and dying, and he gathered his sons around him and prophesied about each one and their descendants. Of particular interest is his prophecy about Judah. King David came from the line of Judah, and later Old Testament prophecy made it clear that the Messiah would also come from Judah in the line of David. We read in Genesis 49: "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is His. He will tether His donkey to a vine, His colt to the choicest branch; He will wash His garments in wine, His robes in the blood of grapes.” (Genesis 49:10-11) For the Jewish person meditating on Messiah, the tethered colt would evoke associations with this prophecy in Genesis and further their association of Jesus with Messiah. The fact that the donkey had never been ridden was also significant. Animals that were meant for sacred or royal use were not used for ordinary tasks but set apart for their greater purpose. This young donkey that had never been ridden had been set apart by God for the sacred and royal task of carrying the Messiah into the holy city on this first Palm Sunday. ~He is LORD~ There is a third way that Jesus presents Himself as Messiah in this passage and that is through His use of the name “Lord.” The word “Lord” had several meanings in Jesus’ day. It could refer to God, or to a master, or even just to the owner of something. In fact when Jesus first instructs His disciples to say, “The Lord needs it,” the meaning [implied]could have been as simple as saying, “Our master needs it.” [The Gospel of] Luke is careful to point out, though, that the donkey’s actual owners are the ones who ask the disciples why they are untying the colt [and donkey]. The word “Lord” then takes on a deeper meaning, when they reply to the owners, “The Lord needs it.” The name “Lord” was a Messianic title. Psalm 110 is a Messianic psalm. It begins with these words: “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” (Psalm 110:1) After Jesus enters Jerusalem, He will use this very verse to engage the Pharisees concerning the title of “Lord” as it applies to the Person of the Messiah. (Luke 20:41-44) Jesus often used the word “Lord” for Himself and freely accepted that title from the lips of others. And here at the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, it was just another way that He presented Himself as Messiah. Jesus not only presented Himself as Messiah at the Triumphal Entry. The people also proclaimed Jesus as Messiah. We see this in a number of ways. ~HOW THE PEOPLE HONORED JESUS AS MESSIAH~ First of all, Jesus’ entry on the donkey [and colt] is highly significant. [The Gospels say]“They brought it [the donkey and colt] to Jesus, threw their cloaks on them and put Jesus on them.” Notice that the disciples put Jesus on them. Jesus sent them to get the donkey [and colt] for this purpose, but they put Jesus on them for His entry into the city. ~Royalty on a Donkey~ So why is Jesus riding on the donkey [and colt] important? First of all, by placing Jesus on the donkey [and colt] for His entry into the city, the people were proclaiming Him as King. Now not everyone who rode a donkey [or colt] into town would be a King. But being placed on them and riding into town in a celebratory processional such as this was an unmistakable sign of kingship. For example, in the Old Testament when David proclaimed his son Solomon king, we find a very similar scenario. We read that they “put Solomon on King David’s mule and escorted him to Gihon. Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ And all the people went up after him, playing flutes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound.” (1 Kings 1:38-40) ~Why a Horse Was Not Chosen~ Secondly, it is significant that Jesus rode into the city on a donkey [and colt] rather than a horse. The horse was a military animal, and when the king rode into the city on a horse, it signaled military victory. The donkey was used for civil ceremonies and peaceful occasions. By choosing a donkey [and colt] rather than a horse, Jesus showed that He was coming in peace. This should have been a sign to the crowd and the disciples that He was not entering Jerusalem to overthrow the Roman government at this time. Thirdly, the donkey figured prominently in one of the Messianic prophecies of Zechariah: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9) In these verses Zechariah directly prophesied Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. ~THE SPREADING OF CLOAKS AND BRANCHES~ As we saw above, the Bible says,"Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road." So what did the spreading of the cloaks signify? The spreading of the cloaks was a sign of respect for the king. We read in the Old Testament that when Elisha the prophet anointed Jehu as king, the people “hurried and took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, ‘Jehu is king!’” (2 Kings 9:13) The symbolism of spreading your cloaks under the feet of the king was that of submission. It indicated your willingness to bow before the king and yield the right of your possessions to him and his rule. This was yet another way that the crowds proclaimed Jesus as Messiah and King. ~Song and Praise~ And then thirdly, there are the actual praises the people sang as Jesus entered Jerusalem. We read in verses 37 -38: “When He came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the King Who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:37-38) The whole crowd joins in this chorus of praise in loud voices of celebration and joy. Other victory shouts included: "Hosanna!" "Save Now!" "Messiah, Save Now!" [Several of the worship songs and cries originated] from Psalm 118, which reads in part: “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success." "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD.” (Psalm 118:24-26) Notice how they have slightly changed the wording to say, “Blessed is the King Who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38) The second phrase is reminiscent of the song the angels sang at Christ’s birth. Look at these verses next to each other: * The angels’ song at Christ’s birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.”(Luke 2:14) * The people’s declaration at His entry into Jerusalem: “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38) The main difference is the change in phrasing from “peace on earth” to “peace in heaven.” Did the people even realize the significance of what they were saying? Probably not. But God in His sovereignty knew that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem would result in His dying on the cross for our sin. And Jesus’ sacrificial death would bring peace in heaven between God and man for all who would put their faith in Christ. The praises of the people was the third way that the people proclaimed Jesus as Messiah as He entered Jerusalem. Jesus presented Himself as Messiah at His Triumphal Entry. The people proclaimed Him as Messiah. And finally, Jesus accepted their praise of Him as Messiah. ~THE ROCKS WILL CRY OUT~ Not everyone along the road to Jerusalem was happy about Jesus’ Triumphal Entry. [The Bible says,] “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!’” (Luke 19:39) The Pharisees knew what was happening. They saw Jesus coming into the city from the East. They saw Him riding on the donkey as the people waved their palm branches and laid their cloaks on the rode before Him. They heard the people praising God and proclaiming Jesus as King just as He passed by the Mount of Olives. They understood the implications of all these things. The people were proclaiming Jesus as Messiah. And so they tell Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” And you know what? Any good teacher who was not the Messiah would have rebuked the disciples right then and there. But Jesus did not rebuke them, because He was the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God. In fact, instead of rebuking them, He actually affirmed the people’s praise. “I tell you,” He replied, “if they keep quiet, the [very] stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:40) It [this phrase] is wonderfully ambiguous, and yet at the same time such a clear affirmation that Jesus accepted the people’s praise of Him as Messiah. ~What did He Mean?~ What did Jesus mean that the stones would cry out? 1. One interpretation is that Jesus is saying it is just as impossible for the disciples to keep quiet as it would be for the stones to cry out. The Messiah is here. How can they not rejoice? 2. A second interpretation would be that Jesus is worthy of praise, and if we do not give it to Him, God will find some other means, even if it means making the stones cry out His praises instead. 3. A third interpretation sees the stones crying out not in praise but rather in judgment of those who do evil. We find parallels to this in the Old Testament, for example in Habakkuk 2 where we read: “The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it. ‘Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by crime!’” (Habakkuk 2:11-12) In this interpretation the stones would be crying out in condemnation of either the disciples who withhold their praises or perhaps the Pharisees who seek to silence them. [The Commentator] likes the second of these interpretations best, that if the disciples remain silent, the stones will cry out the praises of Jesus instead. But whichever Jesus meant, it is clear that He affirms the peoples’ praises over the Pharisees’ objections. Jesus presents Himself as Messiah. The people proclaim Him as Messiah. And Jesus accepts their praise. Yet, while most would assume that Jesus would be celebratory and joyful about the praises that He was receiving, we see that toward the end of His Triumphal entry, that He bitterly weeps for Jerusalem.
~Jesus Weeps For Jerusalem~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~THE TRUE HEART OF OUR LORD~ The next major event that we read about directly after Jesus' Triumphal Entry, is how He bitterly wept over Jerusalem as He gazed down upon it. The Bible says that, "As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it. Jesus was able to look down from a high point and clearly see the expanse of the city. The place where Jesus wept was at the Summit of Olivet which is two hundred feet higher than the nearest part of the city of Jerusalem and a hundred feet higher than its farthest part. So that the Lord looked upon the whole city of Jerusalem as one looks upon an open book. Jesus, after gazing down on Jerusalem became deeply grieved. We so clearly see the true heart of our precious Savior. We see how much He loved people. We see how Jesus personally interacted and related to the people He came into contact with on a daily basis We see the depth of compassion and cries of sadness that our LORD utters as He bemoans Jerusalem's coming fate. Gazing upon Jerusalem, He wept aloud saying,"If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace- -but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave [any one] one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you." (Luke 19: 28-44) It is important to note that when we are told that Jesus "wept" over Jerusalem that we understand its literal definition. The transliterated Greek word for "wept" (Klaio) implies *every* "external, physical display of grief." Another commentator stated "the word does not mean merely that tears forced themselves up and fell down His face. It suggests rather the heaving of the bosom, and the sob and the cry of the soul in agony. We could have no stronger word than the word used here." The verb used does not indicate silent tears, but audible sobbing and lamentation. ~WHY DID JESUS WEEP?~ Why did Jesus weep so bitterly in the very moment of what men would have hailed as His most magnificent hour? Jesus saw something which others did not see. He saw the coming destruction of the city. Looking back on the history of Jerusalem and seeing the events that transpired shortly after Jesus' Resurrection, we have no trouble seeing why Jesus wept so deeply and so sorrowfully. If you look at the history of Jerusalem, we see that the Romans not only conquered it [approx 70 AD] but also destroyed the Temple, took away the people's dignity, purposely withheld food from the people so that they literally starved to death...along with many other unspeakable, heinous occurrences that are recorded by prominent historians of the time, primarily Josephus. Jesus knew exactly what was coming. Jesus knew the pain and devastation that those in Jerusalem would endure. Without a doubt, He knew exactly what would happen to people He knew personally knew or saw on a daily basis. He knew each and every intricate detail of the future fates for every person that lived in or close to Jerusalem. Even worse, He knew that all of His efforts to avert the tragedy had been repulsed and rejected. Jesus realized the difference between what His coming might mean to Jerusalem and what it did mean to Jerusalem.......between the love and gratitude which His coming should have incited and the hatred and violence which it did incite.......between the forgiveness, blessing, and peace which He desired to bring it and the judgment, wrath, and destruction which were coming upon Jerusalem. The vision of it all so heavily weighed upon the heart of Jesus. His weeping demonstrated how much He loved His people yet they did not receive Him. Jesus foresaw and felt the pain of the coming downfall of Jerusalem. ~THE TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM~ Each and every part of Jesus' prophesy (mentioned above) concerning the destruction of Jerusalem came true. In order to fully understand how His prophesy came to fruition, we will dissect each part of it. ~LUKE 19:42~ Jesus weeps, "If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes." The day then passing was among the last before Jesus' Crucifixion, which would present to the Jews a strong motive for repentance. Had Jerusalem hearkened unto Jesus then, He would have saved her from that self-exaltation which proved [to be] her ruin. But bigotry and prejudice blinded her eyes. ~LUKE 19:43~ "For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side." From where Jesus then stood He could see the houses which were to be thrown down, He could locate the embankments which would be built, and He could trace almost every foot of the line of the wall by which Titus in his anger girdled the city when his embankments were burned (Josephus, Wars 5:6.2, 11. 4-6, 12:1,2). ~WHO IS TITUS?~ The oldest son of the Emperor Vespasian, Titus was the second to reign in the Flavian dynasty. But before he became emperor, Titus was an acclaimed war leader of Rome, who was charged by the reigning emperor with the task of ending the Jews’ rebellion against Roman rule. When Titus conquered and destroyed Jerusalem, he was putting an end to many decades of rebellion that had erupted long before his time. Titus’ army broke through the walls of Jerusalem after a long siege, during which the food and water supplies to the city were cut off. According to [the historian] Josephus, when Titus entered the city, his army killed 1,100,000 people within the city, most of whom were Jews; nearly 100,000 more were captured and enslaved. There is controversy as to whether Titus intended to destroy the [Jerusalem] Temple. Josephus claims that the destruction of the Temple of was initiated when a Roman soldier threw a torch inside its walls, kindling a blaze. Other historical sources believe that Titus had intended all along to destroy the Temple. Titus was crowned emperor of Rome in 79 A.D., less than a decade after his triumph in Jerusalem. Among his achievements as emperor was the completion of the famous Colosseum, which some historians believe was built by Jewish slaves. ~LUKE 19:44~ "...and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation." "And thy children within thee." The city is figuratively spoken of as a mother, and her citizens as her children. Luke 13:34 tells of another time that Jesus wept and lamented over Jerusalem. " “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!" "How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!" Jesus wept twice over Jerusalem and the future He foresaw coming to His children that lived there. Yet they did not adhere to Him or believe on Him. "And they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another." To leave one stone upon another is a proverbial expression descriptive of a complete demotion, but in the overthrow of Jerusalem it was well-nigh literally fulfilled. Thus, while the people rejoiced in the present triumph, the prophetic eye and ear of our Lord beheld the judgments which were coming upon the city, heard the bitter cry of the starved defenders during the siege, the screams of the crucified left to perish upon their crosses after its capture, all ending in the final silence of desolation when not one stone was left upon another. So many, after having been scourged in a terrible manner, were crucified all round the city, that in a while there was not room near the wall for the crosses to stand by each other. Probably this befell some of those who now joined in this cry, as it certainly did many of their children. "Because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation." The term "visitation" usually refers to a season of judgment, but here, as elsewhere also (Exodus 4:31), it means a season of grace. They missed their season of grace when the missed the coming of their Savior and Messiah, Jesus.Jesus did not only weep because of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem. He also wept because the hearts of the people in Jerusalem so thoroughly rejected His Salvation and in doing so, rejected God and His Love. At the time, the Jews were prideful, careless, and utterly devoid of any true recognition of God. The Jews demonstrated this flippant and unappreciative attitude when they made a "casual vow" before God so that they could justify their insatiable desire for blood. ~A VOW WRITTEN IN BLOOD~ The Jews made a cocky vow that clearly demonstrated the insolent state of their self-seeking hearts and minds before God. The vow, in addition to the intent behind it, was extremely dishonoring to God and all that He stood for. The Jews paid dearly for this vow and their sinful hearts. The history of the Jews from that day on has been one of the darkest recorded in human annals. The very crowds that had praised Jesus during His Triumphal Entry were the exact same crowds that condemned Him to death soon thereafter. Once a year, during the Feast of Passover, a prisoner was freed based on the democratic vote of the Jewish populace. By this time, Jesus had been traitorously arrested. He, along with a notorious murderer by the name of Barabbas, were to be the 2 prisoners from which the people would choose. Their collective decision would determine which prisoner would die and which one would be released. History tells us that the crowd unanimously chose to free Barabbas and to crucify Jesus. How could they shout "Glorify" one day and "Crucify" the next? Mark 15:11 provides us with the answer,"But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him [Pilate] to release Barabbas for them instead [of Jesus]." We see the crowd of praise morph into a mob of murderers. What is so sickening is that the crowd's implicit hatred for Jesus originated with the 'pious' malevolence of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. The religious elite were so jealous, so full of envy, and so wicked that they broke the very Laws they so rigorously justified. History is filled with examples of sudden changes in populace mentality due to the direct influence of popular leaders. The mindset of the crowds in Jesus' day are no exception. The blood-lust mentality of the Jewish leaders was quickly conveyed and absorbed by the crowd. In fact, the Jewish leaders riled up the crowd so much, telling them all types of blasphemous lies, that they became convinced that Jesus was a threat to their peace and that He deserved to die. Nothing would pacify the mob except for Jesus' Blood being shed. They were so desperate for the spilling of Jesus' Blood that they were willing to say or do *anything* in order to get their way. The 4 Gospels clearly state that the Judean Governor, Pontius Pilate, who oversaw these Passover proceedings, attempted, several times, to reason with the Jewish mob to release Jesus. Pilate ruled in favor of Jesus' release, saying that "he found no fault in Jesus" and that "He was innocent." Every time Pilate would suggest the release of Jesus, the more vehemently the crowds insisted that He die. So murderously desperate were they that they made a hasty, irreverent, flippant vow before God so that Jesus would be released to them. Matthew 27:25 records this vow, "His blood be on us and on our children." If only the Jewish nation had realized what their vow of flippancy would cost them in the near future. In their godless rejection of Jesus, they lost their last opportunity for deliverance from their prophesied future of dread. ~THE HEART OF A FATHER~ Throughout history, we see the rise and fall of the Jewish nation based on their obedience to the Holy God, Jesus' Father. As we see in John 3:16, "God so loved the world that He allowed His Own Son to die" in our place for our choice to sin. Imagine how this rejection of Jesus, His Son, affected the heart of His Father. His Father had allowed Jesus to die for humanity so that we could be eternally close to Him and not damned to a life without Him. By allowing Jesus to die for us, God demonstrated the deepest sacrifice of Love that has ever been bestowed to His undeserving creation. Imagine what the heart of God experienced at the moment this vow was made. Imagine the unspeakable pain and anguish that His divine heart endured when His Son was so casually rejected by the very people that He was going to die for. Imagine how the heart of Jesus' Father felt when the Jewish people in essence said, "Your Son is worth nothing more than a flippant vow that we expect You to honor so that we can kill Him and justify it in Your Eyes." Talk about the ultimate, most blasphemous slap in the Face of God imaginable! The Jewish nation totally and utterly rejected the Precious Life being offered on their behalf. ~ARE WE GUILTY OR INNOCENT?~ This rejection was not exclusive to the Jews of Jesus' day. Are we not just as guilty of His rejection as they were? Before I (we) ever become too quick to judge the Pharisees, let me (us) consider how many of our personal attitudes closely resemble or even match theirs. I will be the first in line. As ashamed as I am to admit it, God has clearly pointed out my sinful attitudes that contributed to Jesus' rejection and brutal death. Every time I didn't trust Him. Every time I neglected to give Him thanks. Every time I purposely or ignorantly ignored His Love and His Deity. Every time I did not put Him first in my life. In each of these scenarios, I totally rejected Him in my heart and in my life. Given the right time or particular situation, it is important to realize that (my) our attitudes are unpredictable. As hard as it is to realize and admit, it is necessary to realize that our sinful attitudes have the propensity to be just as cruel as those of the Jews who rejected Him back then. Yet, if we accept Jesus, ask for His total forgiveness of our sins, and trust and love Him with all that we have, we can be forgiven for all of these sins of rejection. Once forgiven, they are never remembered. It is like they never existed. ~DIVINE LOVE REJECTED, AGAIN~ We will now see the never-ending mercy and love of God. God provided the Jewish people of that day one final chance to repent of their vow. The chance was provided when Jesus requested total forgiveness for the people's ignorance of what they were doing to Him. In His infinite mercy, God was willing to disregard and forgive this vow, if the people would truly repent and turn to Him. In Luke 23:34 we read about this unimaginable request that Jesus placed before His Father on their behalf. Jesus said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." What is so profound about this request is that Jesus made it during or immediately after He was nailed to the cross. In the midst of Jesus' sufferings, unspeakably painful beyond description, we see His divine desire to love and forgive those who caused Him so much agony Jesus' request was made for 2 specific purposes. The first purpose that the request fulfilled was that the sins of every person who ever lived, that were directly responsible for His death, be forgiven. Secondly, His request for forgiveness provided the Jews another undeserved, yet undeniable escape from the consequences of their vow. Yet, even after Jesus made this request, the Jews cruelly and continually rejected Him. If possible, they demonstrated a more abhorrent and cold-blooded rejection of Him after He was nailed to the cross than at any other moment in His life. The Bible speaks of their continual mocking, blasphemous remarks, and total hatred for all that He was. They totally refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah even after He so clearly made His desire to love them and forgive them so unmistakably apparent. The Jews pridefully refused to accept His forgiveness and recant their hasty vow. It was for this attitude of blasphemous pride and lack of reverent humility that God allowed the impending destruction of Jerusalem to occur. If the Jews would have repented of their vow, even then God would have forgiven them because of the request of His Beloved Son. The Jews paid dearly for their flippant rejection of their Savior. When the time came for the consequential fulfillment of this vow, no man could stand before God. It was too late for the Jewish nation to be rescued from the forthcoming judgment. The utter destruction of the Jewish nation and Temple was a direct result of their callous rejection of Jesus to His Father.
~A Den Of Thieves~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~JESUS CASTS OUT TEMPLE THIEVES~ In Luke 19:45-48, we read about how Jesus aggressively drove out those who had profaned and blasphemed His House by fraudulence and thievery. The Bible says,"Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” [see Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11] And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him [the original Greek says that the people "were hanging on to every word He said."] ~RELIGIOUS CORRUPTION~ Luke here summarized the situation as it existed on Monday of the final week. Only this day and the Tuesday following it remained for Jesus to continue His teachings. The tragic events of the cross would begin to unfold on Wednesday, eventually culminating in the Crucifixion itself. Christ cleared it [the Temple] of those who profaned it. He went straight to the temple, and began to cast out the buyers and sellers. Christ gave reason for His dislodging the Temple-merchants. The Temple is intended to be a house of prayer, set apart for communion with God: the buyers and sellers made it a den of thieves by the fraudulent bargains they made there, which was by no means to be suffered, for it would be a distraction to those who came there to pray. ~THE HATRED OF THE PIOUS~ The glowering hatred of the leaders had reached the boiling point. They would kill Jesus by any means whatever, preferably by assassination (Matthew 26:4); but whatever it took to accomplish their purpose they were ready to do. Their utter desperation to destroy (what a strong adjective!) Jesus is saturated with insane, murderous hatred. The original Greek defines their desperate desire to destroy Jesus by saying that they "earnestly meditated on and craved a way to destroy Jesus that was so painful so vindictive, and so violent that they wanted Him to suffer to such a degree that it would be like He had been damned to eternal hell. They wanted to enjoy each and every level of His suffering. They became utterly consumed with a desire to gloat over this type of death." As we will see later, this is exactly what they did when He was on the Cross. Their impatience, however, would have to wait upon the Lord. He, not they, would set in motion the forces that led to His death; and His consent, not theirs, was the condition required to be fulfilled before they could act. The consent of Jesus was the sine qua non [indispensable and necessary for the culmination] of our Lord's Passion. Without that, the criminal and bloodthirsty leaders were reduced to frustration, as so vividly portrayed here in verse 38: "They could not find what they might do!" ~The High Price Of Deceit~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER~ Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Little did they suspect that their murderous desires would be fulfilled by one of Jesus' Disciples. Judas Iscariot, one of the 12, went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. Judas asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?" They were delighted and agreed to give him money [30 pieces of silver]. From that day forward, they watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. Luke 22: 1-6 This [betrayal] probably took place on the Tuesday Evening in the Passover week, although some people think it might have happened during the Wednesday afternoon. Jesus had prophesied several times about someone betraying him during His ministry, although people did not understand what He was talking about. ~JUDAS' PERSONAL BACKGROUND~ Judas came from a town called Kerioth, so he was known as Judas Iscariot, meaning 'from Kerioth'. He was also thought highly of in the Jewish community. Judas was the only one of the main disciples that came from the southern 'Judea' part of Israel. Jesus and the rest of the main disciples came from the northern 'Galilee'. So the most important Jewish leaders would have thought that he was the only 'proper' Jew! (People from the north of Israel were often thought of as lower class and stupid!) He was thought to be a good administrator and was the treasurer for Jesus and His disciples. This meant he would have held all the money and arranged where Jesus and His followers stayed on their travels. He was thought to be good with money, but secretly he was a thief! Judas was probably also a member of an anti-roman freedom fighting group, so Judas had hoped that Jesus would lead a Jewish revolution to over throw the Romans and give back Israel to the Jews. But all Jesus did was to preach and heal, not to fight! ~JUDAS...KING OF THE JEWS?~ It is highly probable that Judas wanted to make a 'name' for himself. He wanted to be hailed as "the king of the Jews" that saved the Jews from Roman tyranny. Since Jesus did not go along with his plan of anarchy, Judas decided to betray Him and not allow Him to stand in the way of his malicious, ignorant schemes. Motivated by this mindset, Judas felt justified in approaching the Jewish leaders to discuss how to betray Jesus. Judas might have thought that the arrest of Jesus would have started an uprising and that he could then lead the Jews to victory, or he might have wanted more power among the Jews and saw that this was a good way of doing it, as Jesus didn't seem like He was going to start anything. So on the Tuesday evening, after all the Temple services had finished, he went to the house of the Chief Priest, Caiaphas, to see if he could help to betray Jesus. Under Jewish law, a meeting accusing someone of a crime or arranging for an arrest could only take place in the court house, not a normal house, so the meeting was illegal! The Priests and Jewish officials had already had a meeting which decided that Jesus was to be killed, so having one of the disciples coming to help them would have been very useful! ~THE PRICE OF BETRAYAL~ Judas would have thought that this would have made him more important, but the Jewish leaders only saw him as a 'common informant.' The amount they paid him for his treachery was the amount of money needed to buy a common slave, thirty pieces of silver (this would have been about US $25.60) What was even worse, was that the silver coins would have come from the very Temple tax that Jesus was so angry about on the afternoon of Palm Sunday! Judas then went back and waiting for a time when he could signal the authorities to arrest Jesus. He probably hoped it would be the next day when Jesus went into the Temple in Jerusalem. (It was usual to buy the Passover Lamb on the Wednesday, ready for the sacrifice and meal on the Thursday. It would have been Judas' job to buy the lamb in the temple, but he thought Jesus and the other disciples would have all gone to the Temple. So he must have got a big shock when Jesus decided to rest in Bethany all day on Wednesday and not go into Jerusalem until it was time for the Passover Meal on the Thursday evening! ~Why the Jews Celebrate Passover~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) Passover is and was one of the most important times of celebration and remembrance in the Jewish religion. It remembers and celebrates the time when God freed the Jews from slavery in ancient Egypt. God told His prophet Moses to tell all the Jews to prepare a special meal of roast lamb (the best and most healthy lamb) and un-leavened bread (bread that is made without yeast). When the lamb was killed, the blood was to be put on the door posts and lintel of the main door of the house. This was to be a sign that the people in the house were Jews. Because on that night, an angel came and killed every first born male in that area of Egypt, including the son of the Pharaoh and even the first born of all the animals that the Egyptians kept. So, the name for the meal came to be 'Passover' as the angel 'passed over' the homes of the Jews. God had already sent six plagues to the Egyptians (including a rain of frogs!) to tell the Pharaoh to free the Jews, but he hadn't taken any notice. However, this time Pharaoh was so frightened that he set the Jews free. He later tried to recapture them, but God saved them in another way (but that's another story!). So remembering the Passover meal is very important to Jews as it was a very special sacrifice made of the best lamb. Also the sacrifice eaten in the meal represents the special promise that God made to the Jews. Normally a Jewish sacrifice is a promise from man to God, not the other way around! So back in Jerusalem, on the Wednesday night, the Passover time had started and the official preparations were underway. On the Wednesday evening every house was searched from top to bottom by Priests and important Jewish officials, to make sure that there was no bread made with yeast left in any house. If any was found, it was taken outside the city walls and stored, so it could be destroyed after the end of the feast on Friday. The law said that no work was to be done on the Thursday after midday, only preparations for the Passover meal that would be eaten on the Thursday evening. Most people didn't eat anything after midday, until the meal, so an early lunch was normally eaten. ~Detailed Passover Preparations~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) After the early lunch, Peter and John were sent out by Jesus to get everything ready for the meal. This should have really been the job of Judas, and involved getting a room suitably furnished, decorated, and the food and drink arranged, including the Passover Lamb. But Jesus gave the job to Peter and John instead, because He knew Judas was going to betray Him. ~HOW THE PASSOVER ROOM WAS FURNISHED / TYPE OF FOOD AND DRINK USED IN CEREMONY~ So Peter and John went into the city and found the man as Jesus had told them. They might have known him, as it is thought that the house they used for the meal might have belonged to the father of Mark, one of Jesus' disciples. So the man could have been a servant of Mark's father that they knew. It was common for large groups to share the Passover meal together, but Jesus wanted a separate room for just Him and His closest disciples, because He knew the meal was to be a very special one. The room in the house was the one used by guests and would have been fairly simply decorated and furnished, with a simple table in the middle of the room, some large cushions to sit / lay on arranged in a horse-shoe shape and all the food for the meal except the Passover Lamb, which still had to be sacrificed in the Temple. The food would have consisted of : * four cups and red wine to go in them (The wine used is the normal everyday wine watered down 2:1 and the cups are special shaped ones about two fingers long by two fingers wide and about two and a half fingers tall.) * the special unleavened bread. * and a small portion of bitter herbs (There are five kinds of herbs used, that are dipped in a mixture salt vinegar and water and then sometimes dipped in another mixture of chopped apples, nuts, raisins and almonds.) After the room has been arranged, Peter and John would have gone to the Temple with the Lamb to sacrifice it. It would now have been about 2.00pm. Normally the early afternoon service in the Temple was held at 2.30pm, but on the day of the Passover meal it was at 1.30pm, to allow time for all the lambs to be sacrificed. It was also the only day when all the Priests in the Temple were on duty. There were so many lambs to be sacrificed that two queues were made so the sacrifices could be made in a more orderly way. First the lamb had to be checked by a Priest to make sure it was fit and healthy and then either Peter or John would have cut the lamb's throat whilst the other held it. The Priest caught the blood in a special gold bowl and then threw the blood on to the burning altar as the sacrifice. The Priest then skinned and gutted the lamb, and the internal organs were then also burnt on the altar while a psalm was sung. A big stick, often a stripped rosemary branch, was then used to kebab the lamb from mouth to rear and it was roasted in a special oven in the Temple courtyard. If any part of the lamb touched the side walls of the oven, it was made unclean, a new lamb had to be bought and the whole sacrifice started again! When the lamb was cooked, Peter and John would have carried the lamb, using the spit on their shoulders, back into the city to the house just before sunset. Men from all over the city would have been doing the same thing, so the streets would have been very busy. About the same time, Jesus and the other disciples, including Judas, would have come into the city from Bethany and met with Peter and John in the room, ready to celebrate the Passover meal. When the first three stars had appeared in the sky, silver trumpets were blown three times from the top of the Temple walls to let the city know that the Passover meal could start. ~HOW THE PASSOVER ROOM WAS FURNISHED~ The room where Jesus and His followers were to have the meal would have been lit with lamps and candles and might have had some floral decorations put around the walls and everyone would have dressed in their best clothes. People at that time did not sit up to high level tables like most people do now. Instead, people ate meals half sitting/ half lying on mats and large cushions around a low level table (that was sometimes hung from the ceiling on chains!). You rested on your left side with your head towards the table and your feet away from it, so your right hand was to used to eat with. (The famous picture of the Last Supper by Leonardo Di Vinci is a very nice picture, but it is not very accurate!) This was probably the first time that Jesus would have been 'head' or 'master' or leader of the prayers at the meal. It was normal for people to be seated around the table in order of importance, with the most important people at one end of the horseshoe shape and the least important at the other end of the horse shoe. This was why the disciples started to argue was the best, as it decided who got to sit near to Jesus. ~Who Is The Greatest?~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it [authority] over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as One who serves. You are those who have stood by Me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as My Father conferred one on Me, so that you may eat and drink at My table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ~The Washing Of Feet~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) Luke 22: 7-34, "... so He[Jesus] got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, "Lord, are You going to wash my feet?" Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." "No," said Peter, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me." "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." For He knew who was going to betray Him, and that was why He said not every one was clean. When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" He asked them. "You call Me 'Teacher' and 'Lord', and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:4-17) This part of the Biblical account took place on Thursday afternoon and evening, although, the Passover celebrations officially started on the Wednesday evening when the first three stars were visible in the sky. ~The Last Supper~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~PREPARING FOR THE LAST SUPPER~ This meal has become known as the 'Last Supper' as it was the last meal that Jesus ate before He died. Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover." "Where do you want us to prepare for it?" they asked. He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there." They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. When the hour came, Jesus and His apostles reclined at the table. And He said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." ~I HAVE EAGERLY DESIRED~ He knew it [sharing this Last Supper with His disciples] was to be the prologue to His sufferings, and therefore He desired it, because it was in order to his Father’s glory and man’s redemption. See the love He had for His disciples; He desired to eat with them, that He and they might have a little time together, themselves, and none besides, for private conversation, which they could not have in Jerusalem but upon this occasion. He was now about to leave them, but was very desirous to eat this Passover with them before He suffered, as if the comfort of that would carry Him the more cheerfully through His sufferings, and make them the easier to Him. ~BREAD AND WINE~ After taking the cup, He gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you. ~A BETRAYER REVEALED~ But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him. It would have been better if he had never been born." They began to question among themselves which of them it might be and who would do this. with the host (or master) of the meal (Jesus at the Last Supper) saying grace and giving thanks to God. There are two parts to the opening prayer, one to give thanks for the first cup of wine and one to ask that the group might meet together again the next year at the Passover meal. When the first cup of wine had been passed around and drunk to start the meal, the master then washes his hands to symbolize the cleansing of himself and make himself ready for the meal (the rest of the group wash their hands later in the meal!). This is probably when Jesus washed the disciples' feet. The job of washing feet usually went to the lowest servant. Having a towel was also the sign of a servant. In the time of Jesus people wore open sandals and there were no nice roads or sewers, so your feet would get very dusty and smelly. So the disciples would have been very surprised to see Jesus washing their feet and some didn't want Jesus to do it at first. After Jesus had washed their feet, He explained why He did so. It was a sign that even the most important people must be like a servant, willing to do anything for other people. Also that the lowest people would become the most important people in God's eyes. It has also been seen as a sign that Jesus was preparing the disciples' feet ready to go and tell all the world about Him. ~Passover Seating Arrangements~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) The Bible doesn't say where every disciple sat, but some of the positions have been gathered from the Bible. John sat at the most important end of the table because he had organized the meal and was thought of the most important disciple. In John's gospel, it says that John rested his head on Jesus' bosom, so we know Jesus sat next to him. ~A BETRAYER REVEALED~ Judas actually sat in one of the most important seats, the one on the left of the 'master'. It is believed that he was the first to be passed the food dishes after Jesus had blessed it. The Bible also says that John and Jesus talked about Judas being the traitor at one point and that no other disciples could hear them. This would be be explained in John's and Jesus' heads could get very close (Matt 26: 25). We know that Peter sat at the other end of the table as a sight of humility, as Jesus had reprimanded them for arguing about who the best disciple was. So in doing so, Peter would have tried to make himself look good by going to the worst seat!!! It also explains how Peter and John talked quietly without anyone else hearing them. The rest of the disciples would have sat in the other places as they were most convenient, or best suited talking to each other. ~Passover Celebration Stages~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) After the washing (normally only the hands of the master!) the main food dishes are put on the table. The master dips the herbs in the marinades, says a prayer and hands the herbs round to eat. Next the special unleavened bread is split or broken and one half is put aside for later. The other half is put on a plate and raised into the air and a special prayer is said thanking God for freedom from slavery and living in freedom. The second cup is then filled and it is traditional for the youngest male taking part in the meal to ask why Passover i celebrated. The story of the Jews escape from Egypt is then told. The cup is then raised twice and prayers are said that end with the saying of (Psalms 113 - 118). The cup is raised a third time, the special 'Hallel' prayer is said and then the cup is passed round and drunk. This ends the first part of the meal. The main part of the meal then starts. Everybody washes their hands and the 'sop' is made and eaten. The sop is a kind of sandwich made of the roast lamb and herbs, rolled in the bread and then dipped into the marinades and passed around and eaten. As Jesus was the master of meal and Judas was seated in the most important guest place, Judas would have received the first sop from Jesus. ~Satan Enters Judas~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray Me." His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them He meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved [John], was reclining next to Him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask Him which one He means. "Leaning back against Jesus, he asked Him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. "What you are about to do, do quickly," Jesus told him, but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. The third cup was filled after the sop had been eaten. This is known as the 'blessing' cup. The drinking of the cup was the official end of the meal. This is when Judas left the meal to go and tell the Priest how they could arrest Jesus. ~Bread and Wine~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) Jewish law says that after the third 'blessing' cup has been drunk, that no food may be eaten. However, it is common that the other half of the bread is eaten as an after dish. This is what happened during the Last Supper and is where the Christian Communion, Eucharist or Mass comes from. (the different names are used by different churches.) ~THIS IS MY BODY....~ Jesus raised the bread and prayed over it. He then gave the bread a new and special meaning, saying that it would represent His body, that like the bread would be broken when He died. He then took up the fourth and final cup that ended the meal and also gave this part of the meal a new and special meaning. ~THIS IS MY BLOOD...~ Jesus said that the wine represented His blood that would be split when He died, so that people could be forgiven of their sins against God. He also said that the symbols were not only to remind His followers that He had to die, but that He would also come back to earth one day to judge everyone and make the world perfect. This meal is still very important to all Christians who use Communion Eucharist or Mass to remember that Jesus died for our sins and that one day He will come back. ~PSALMS OF PRAISE~ After the meal was over, Jesus and the disciples would have said the final prayers of the meals which are Psalms 115 - 118 & 136 and sung a final hymn. [Psalm 118 contains the words to the song, "This is the day that the Lord has made.] How many times have you sung, "This is the day that the Lord has made?" Did you realize that in context the psalm speaks specifically of the day Christ was facing [Crucifixion Day]?.....Imagine Christ, fully aware of all that was coming, singing "This is the day that the Lord has made [I will rejoice and be glad in it]." Whatever Christ sang as the Passover meal concluded that night. The words had significance for Him that the others could have never comprehended. ~JUDAS PREPARES TO HAVE JESUS ARRESTED~ Judas had left the Passover meal as soon as he legally could. (After the third or 'blessing' cup of the Passover meal. This would have been about 9.00pm), ~Preparing To Arrest Jesus~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) Judas went to the Jewish leaders, to tell them where they could find Jesus to arrest Him. The disciples had probably discussed during the meal that they would go to the Garden [of Gethsemane] after the meal, so Judas knew the arrest could take place on that night. When the Jewish leaders knew the arrest could take place, Caiaphas who was the High Priest, went to see the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, to ask him for help in arresting Jesus. The Jews did not like the Romans at all, so it might seem strange that the Jewish leaders wanted the Romans help. But the Jews did not have the authority to pass the death sentence, so they needed the arrest to be a Roman one. Also under Jewish law, the arrest, trial and death of Jesus needed to have taken place before sunset on the next day (Friday), before the Jewish holy day, the Sabbath had started. Also under Jewish law, it was completely illegal for a Jewish priest to go into a non-Jewish house or property during the Passover festival, and for a Jew to be out between sunset and sunrise. But Caiaphas was desperate, so he broke his own laws! Pilate probably wouldn't have wanted to have anything to do with the arrest of Jesus, but as it would have kept the Jewish leaders happy, he gave the Jews some soldiers from the camp next to the Temple to help arrest Jesus. Caiaphas might also have told Pilate that Jesus was planning to start a revolt against the Romans. ~Jesus Prays for Peter~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) "Simon, Simon, Satan has [excessively] asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." A closer examination of Jesus' statement to Simon reveals that Satan not only insistently demanded to sift Peter individually but all of the apostles. Jesus singles Peter out in this comment and says that He would pray for him so that he would not lose his faith [when he denied Jesus 3 times]. The ESV Bible provides transliterated insight into this verse by stating that, "[In verse 31],the first “you” is plural in the Greek. There is no plural word for “you” in English which is why the verse reads “you” in English. The Greek word for you(used twice in verse 31) is plural; in verse 32, all four instances are singular. In other words, Jesus is saying, “Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you, as wheat, but I’ve prayed for you, Simon, that your [Simon’s] faith may not fail. And when you, Simon, have [re]turned again, strengthen your brothers. What Jesus is actually saying is that Satan had asked to sift all of the disciples. When Jesus was crucified, He knew that the disciples were going to be struck a heavy blow, but he was specifically commissioning Simon (who we usually call Peter) to strengthen them. He knew that Peter was going to deny Him [not once but three times], but still, he was the one tasked with strengthening the other apostles. ~Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) When Judas was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will glorify the Son in Himself, and will glorify Him at once. "My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for Me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going you cannot come. "A new command I give you: "Love one another." As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." Simon Peter asked Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later." Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow You now? I will lay down my life for You." Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for Me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown Me three times! But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with You, I will never disown You." And all the other disciples said the same. ~Garden of Gethsemane~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) After the Passover meal, the disciples went out of Jerusalem to a favorite resting place of theirs known as the 'Garden of Gethsemane' or 'Garden of Olives'. To get to the garden, they would have gone out through the north Temple gate, down into the Kidron valley, gone across the river, turned left, gone on a bit, turned right and there was, and still is, the garden! Although it is called a garden, it is not what most western people would probably think of as being a garden. It was and is really a small summer terrace surrounded with low walls. It is only about 70 paces square and was used for growing olive trees and herb shrubs. There would have been a small house or covered room at the gate of the garden that housed an olive press that was used to make olive oil from the trees that grew in the garden. The garden probably belonged to one of Jesus' followers as there is evidence in the Bible that Jesus and His disciples often visited the garden to rest, relax and pray. Most of the disciples probably went to the garden with Jesus, although Jesus left most of them at the gate house and only took Peter, James and John with Him. Jesus knew that He would soon die, and so went to pray in the garden. He left the three disciples, telling them to sit and pray for Him, while He prayed in one corner of the garden. ~Father If It Be Thy Will~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) He said to them [Peter, James, John, the other Disciples], "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with Him, and He began to be sorrowful and exceedingly troubled. Then He said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me." Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will." Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with Me for one hour?" He asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done." When He came back, He again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So He left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. Then He returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? ~Here Comes My Betrayer~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes My betrayer!" While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords, torches, lanterns and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him. Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for." ~I AM HE~ Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to Him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?" "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I Am He," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, "I Am He," they drew back and fell to the ground. Again He asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." "I told you that I Am He," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for Me, then let these men go." This happened so that the words He had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave Me." ~PETER RETALIATES~ Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested Him. With that, one of Jesus' companions [Simon Peter] reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant [Malchus] of the high priest, cutting off his ear. But Jesus adamantly exclaimed, "No more of this!" And He touched the man's ear and healed him. Jesus angrily rebuked Peter and said,"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him [Simon Peter], "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" ~Jesus Made A Choice~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) Jesus, before He was arrested, endured such physical, emotional, and psychological stress that it is nothing short of a miracle that He did not refuse to give Himself as a Sacrifice on our behalf. Beth Moore (7) provides a revealing look into tortuous and agonizing moments and struggles that Jesus willingly endured prior to His arrest. In speaking about Jesus' prayer to "remove this cup from Me" she writes, "Do not subtract God's freedom of choice from this picture. God could have chosen to reject the way of the Cross. After all, He is the sovereign of the universe. That God could have stopped the process yet didn't is a matchless demonstration of love. Can you think of anyone for whom you'd watch your only child be tortured to death? [Jesus said]"Abba Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from Me." (Mark 14:36). The request that Christ placed before the Father ought to make us catch our breath. [Jesus' prayer] ascended to heaven through wails of grief. God's beloved was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Luke's Gospel tells us His sweat dropped like blood [Luke 22:44], a condition almost unheard of except when the physical body is placed in more stress and grief than it was fashioned to handle. Do we think that God sat on His throne unmoved? Our hearts ought to miss a beat. Christ could have walked past the cross. He could have - but He didn't. Luke 22:47 tells us, "While He was still speaking a crowd came to arrest Jesus. Imagine the scene they walked into that night. Please try and grasp Christ's physical condition before the crowd headed up the Mount of Olives to seize Him. Like a body that rejects a transplanted organ, the human body of Jesus Christ was practically tearing itself apart. The full throttle of the divine impact and emotion was almost more than one human body could endure. The stress had nearly turned Him inside out. I do not make this point to emphasize His weakness. Quite the contrary. In fact I find the scene recorded in John 18:6 portrays His incredible power. When Jesus told the crowd, "I am He," even overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, the proclaimed presence of Jesus Christ knocked the mob to the ground. Dear, sweet Jesus. We really have no idea Who You are, do we? Your God-ness could not be diminished for a moment, in or out of that prison of flesh. Lord, don't let us forget. You, who submitted Yourself to the hands of sinful men, were [the] very God. As we allow the Holy Spirit to escort us to a place of fresh insight and gratitude, we're considering not only what God has done that He didn't have to do, but also what he didn't do that He could have. God deserves our praise both for what He has done and what He hasn't done." ~Jesus Willingly Captured~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture Me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest Me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled. Matthew 26: 36-55 This part of the story took place on Thursday evening and night from about 11:00pm to 12.00am. ~Mockery of Justice~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) After Jesus had been arrested in the Garden, He was led away by the Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers for the first of several trials, most of which were actually illegal in the way that they were conducted. The questioning / trying of Jesus by Annais and then Caiaphas was illegal under Jewish law on six points: * it was illegal to arrest / question or try a Jew in the afternoon or after sunset * it was illegal to arrest / question or try a Jew during a feast or festival such as Passover. * it was illegal to question or try a Jewish prisoner without the full Jewish council being present (in both cases only a few friends or family members would have been present) * it was illegal to question or try a Jewish prisoner in a private house. (All questioning and trials should take place in the Jewish Council Building. The Jewish Law court was next to the house of Caiaphas, but he first questioned Jesus in his house not in the court!) * it was illegal to have a questioning or trial without two or more witnesses making the accusation. * it was illegal for a Priest (or ex Priest!) to question or take a trial, it should have been a Jewish judge. ~THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANNAIS AND CAIAPHAS~ Annais was an Ex High Priest and the Father in Law of the High Priest Caiaphas. Annais was widely thought of as the real power behind the High Priest and that Caiaphas just did what Annais told him! Annais was much more clever than Caiaphas and was the more respected of the two priests. ~JESUS AT ANNAIS' HOUSE~ Peter and John had followed the party that had arrested Jesus to the house of Annais. It should be noted that the "hearing" Annais held was illegal under Jewish law. Annais proceeded to question Jesus about His disciples and His teaching. Jesus responded, "I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together." I said nothing in secret. Why question Me? Ask those who heard Me. Surely they know what I said." When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck Him in the face. "Is this the way You answer the high priest?" he demanded. "If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike Me?" Then Annais sent Him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest. ~ JESUS AT CAIAPHAS' HOUSE~ Peter and John then followed them on to the house of Caiaphas. The Romans soldiers would not have gone into either house, and after they had taken Jesus to Caiaphas, they would have gone back to the their barracks next to the Temple. Jesus would have arrived at the house of Caiaphas between 2:00am and 3:00am. John probably went into the house with Jesus, as he was known by the Jewish leaders. ~PETER'S FIRST DENIAL~ So Peter was left alone in the courtyard outside the house with the servants of Caiaphas. He was afraid of what might happen to him (remember he'd cut the ear off one of Caiaphas' most important servants earlier that night!). As it was night, it would have been quite cold and he would have felt safer in a group, so Peter went to warm himself with the servants around a small fire or brazier. At some point, John came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in. "You are not one of His disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, "I am not." ~JESUS' TRIAL BEFORE CAIAPHAS~ The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put Him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, "This Fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.' " Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are You not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" But Jesus remained silent. ~Jesus Reveals His Sonship~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) The high priest said to Him, "I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God." "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." ~CAIAPHAS TEARS HIS PRIESTLY CLOTHES~ Then the high priest rent [tore] his priestly clothes. The tearing of clothes was considered a very demonstrative display of mourning. Caiaphas wanted to theatrically display his "shock" at Jesus' blasphemy. Caiaphas wanted to appear to be so appalled at Jesus' "confession" that he immediately went into a state of mourning. Caiaphas then declared, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?" "He is worthy of death," they answered. Then they spit in His face and struck Him with their fists. Others slapped Him and said, "Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit You?" This unjust, cruel, barbaric treatment of Jesus was completely illegal as Jewish law stated that no man condemned to death could be beaten or whipped until the process of being put to death had been properly started. ~Jesus' Words Purposely Twisted~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~WHY THE ACCUSATION OF JESUS REBUILDING THE TEMPLE WAS CONSIDERED BLASPHEMOUS~ The accusation of Jesus saying He would rebuild the temple was probably made by a Priest or high ranking temple official who had heard Jesus preaching in the temple when this had happened: Then the Jews demanded of Him, "What miraculous sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do all this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." (John 2: 18 -19) What Jesus had meant was that He would be killed and be raised to life again three days later, and that He would be the new temple and the only way of coming to God, and that the old temple would not be needed for this purpose anymore. But the Jewish leaders did not understand this. ~Peter's Remaining 2 Denials~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) As we saw above, Peter has already denied Jesus once. We now see that he will adamantly deny Jesus 2 more times. ~PETER DENIES CHRIST A SECOND AND THIRD TIME~ Then he [Peter] went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth." He denied it again, with an oath [he actually began to invoke a curse on himself in order to prove his claim and to swear]: "I don't know the man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown Me three times." The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. And Peter went outside and wept bitterly. This part of the story took place late on Thursday night / early Friday Morning from about 12.00am to 6.00am. ~No True Judge, No True Trial~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) Jesus was made to stand trial for the crime of blasphemy. Crimes such as these, that were punishable by death, were supposed to have a long and complicated system of witnesses. In this case this was not done and no TRUE Jewish judge would have allowed this, however prejudiced he might have been, so Annais and Caiaphas had the trial without a judge! Trials also had to have two independent witnesses to make the accusations. At this trial the council did have more than two witnesses, but they were all friends of the council members who had been talked into testifying against Jesus, and so couldn't even agree on a story of what Jesus had done wrong! Jewish trials (even ones preceded over by judges!) could not 'officially' pass the death sentence, only the Roman authorities could do this. So the Jewish leaders next planned to go and see the Roman authorities. ~Judas Kills Himself~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and was constantly tormented in his mind. He was deeply troubled and was filled with deep, all-consuming regret that he had betrayed Jesus. Realizing the full consequences of his betrayal, Judas hurriedly ran to the Temple to speak with the chief priests and elders. Judas was so consumed by sorrow and regret, he seemed to think that if he returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders that they would release Jesus. When Judas found them he cried out to them, "I have sinned! I have sinned!" he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood!" "What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility." Judas was no longer necessary to the religious leaders. They no longer cared about him since there nothing else he could offer them. Judas then proceeded to violently fling the 30 pieces of silver onto the floor. Then he immediately ran out of the Temple and proceeded to kill himself. Tradition says that he probably hanged himself on a tree that projected over the extremely steep rocks found at the Valley of Hinnom. Judas flung his body so violently over the ravine that it caused the rope or limb to break. Judas then fell headlong into the jagged rocks below, causing his body burst open at the middle. The Bible graphically tells us when his body burst open that all of his intestines proceeded to fall out. The religious leaders demonstrate no remorse over the tragic death of Judas. Instead the Bible says that the religious leaders piously state, "It is against the Law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money." The religious leaders ultimately used the money to purchase the field Judas died in as a burial place for foreigners; it is known as the Field of Blood to this day. ~OBVIOUS HYPOCRISY~ The chief priests cared less about Judas' death and more about obeying the Law. Over and over we see that Jesus chided them for caring more about the legalism of the Law and less about the people that God originally created the Law for. Obviously they had heard of Judas' tragic demise.Yet, the first recorded words out of their mouth were not words of condolence or shame but rather words of legalism. They piously stated that it was 'against the Law' to accept this abandoned money into the Temple treasury. They were more concerned with keeping the Temple treasury full so that the money could be at their personal disposal. Not only that, they clearly stated that the money was "blood money." Yet they had no problem taking money from the Temple treasury to pay Judas. Their willingness to assist Judas in betraying Jesus immediately made the money "blood money." Yet when Judas brought the money back they glared down their pious noses at him and hypocritically stated that they could not accept it because the "Law prohibited" them from accepting "blood money" for the Temple treasury. Even more unsettling is how these same people were so willing to disregard the Law by holding several illegal trials in order to condemn Jesus to death. One of their chief complaints against Jesus is that He healed on the Sabbath day...thus desecrating the Law. Yet they failed to hold to that same rigid standard themselves. The religious leaders were more than willing to prostitute the Law for their own agenda yet were so quick to condemn anyone else who did the same. The Law was for sale to the highest bidder. Matthew 23 records Jesus' angry denouncements of their blatant hypocrisy. He bluntly points out: (Matthew 23:2-4) ".....[the religious leaders] do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them." (Matthew 23:27-28) "[Jesus compares them to whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones." (Matthew 23:33) "[Jesus refers to them as]"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?" ~Jesus Before Pilate~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~JESUS BEFORE PILATE~ As you recall from above, Jesus was informally condemned to death at Caiaphas' house when He said He was the Son of God. Caiaphas then tore his priestly clothes, portraying shock over Jesus' supposedly blasphemous statement. After which, he and the other 'pious' religious leaders provided a most accurate portrayal of their true religiosity. They proceeded to lynch and violently attack Jesus. Their hatred for Him was no longer hidden; they repeatedly beat Him, slapped Him, and spit upon Him. After beating Jesus, the whole assembly rose and led Him off to Pontius Pilate. It would have been about 6.30am when Jesus and the Jewish leaders arrived and Pilate's house. The Jews were looking to formally sentence Jesus since they could not sentence anyone to death without permission from Roman authorities. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. Under Jewish law, Jews were not allowed to go into the house (or even courtyard or garden) of a Gentile (or non Jew) during festivals, especially Passover. Doing so would make them 'unclean' and meant that they could not take part in anymore of the Passover festivals. On the Friday evening, the last Passover meal was to be held and the Jewish leaders would have needed to attend this meal. Because of this law, Pilate came out to meet with the Jewish leaders at his front gates! So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this Man?" "If He were not a criminal," they replied "we would not have handed Him over to you." Pilate said, "Take Him yourselves and judge Him by your own law." "But we have no right to execute anyone, the Jews objected. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death He was going to die would be fulfilled. They began to accuse Him, saying,"We have found this Man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king." The Jewish leaders started by accusing Jesus of being a possible riot starter, by saying that He had told people to not pay taxes. However, in fact the opposite was the case! At an earlier time in Jesus' ministry, Jesus was asked if it was right to pay taxes to the Romans. As the coins used to pay taxes had Caesar's head on it. Jesus replied 'Give unto Caesar, what is Caesar's.' Because of this, the only possible crime for which Jesus could have been arrested under Roman law, was claiming to be a 'King' and so saying that He was higher than Caesar. The Jewish leaders knew this and so must have prompted Caesar with the question. This was the same type of law that the Jews had 'convicted' Jesus on. After the Jews accused Him of these things, Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about Me?" "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed You over to me. What is it You have done?" Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is from another place." "You are a King then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a King. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me." "What is truth?" Pilate asked. Pilate came back out and said, "I find no basis for a charge against Him. However, the chief priests, elders, and religious elite continually and vehemently accused Jesus before Pilate all the more. Yet Jesus did not respond to any of their charges; He gave no answer. Then Pilate asked Him, "Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against You?" But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor. ~I FIND NO FAULT WITH THIS MAN~ Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man." But they insisted, "He stirs up the people all over Judea by His teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here." ~Jesus Before Herod (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) On hearing this, Pilate asked if the Man was a Galilean. When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. Herod did not usually stay in Jerusalem, but because of the Passover festival he was staying in the old Jewish Palace during the festival. Herod was really a token king who had no real power and was allowed to remain by the Romans. As Herod was in Jerusalem, Pilate saw a way out of holding a trial for Jesus - by sending Him to Herod and letting him deal with Jesus. So Jesus was sent off to Herod. ~JESUS BEFORE HEROD~ When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see Him. Herod was very pleased that Pilate had sent Jesus to him. It made Herod look important to the Jewish leaders (they thought Herod was weak for letting the Romans tell him what to do). From what Herod had heard about Jesus, he hoped to see Him perform some miracle. Herod had heard a lot about Jesus but hadn't seen Him before. Herod wanted and hoped that, if Jesus really was an important or magical prophet, He would make a good prophesy about Herod or would do some magic for Herod. He plied Him with many questions, but Jesus gave Him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing Him. Still Jesus said nothing, so Herod could not find Jesus guilty of anything. As a result, Herod became angry and mocked Jesus, by getting his own soldiers to put one of Herod's old royal robes on Jesus and pretending to bow to Him. So he had Jesus beaten up (again illegal under Jewish Law!) and sent Him back to Pilate. So Pilate still had to decide what to do with Jesus. That day Herod and Pilate became friends--before this they had been enemies. ~Pilate Attempts To Release Jesus~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~PILATE TRIES AGAIN TO RELEASE JESUS~ Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, "You brought me this Man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined Him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against Him. Neither has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; as you can see, He has done nothing to deserve death. It would have now have been between 7:30am and 8:00am. Now it was the governor's custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. Jesus, along with another prisoner by the name of Barabbas were the two from which the people would choose. Barabbas was a notorious criminal had been thrown into prison for taking part of an insurrection in the city, and for murder. Pilate was well aware the Pharisees had turned Jesus over to him. While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don't have anything to do with that innocent Man [Jesus], for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of Him." ~Crucify Him!~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~WHO WILL YOU CHOOSE: JESUS OR BARABBAS~ The chief priests and the elders influenced the crowd and persuaded them to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" asked the governor. "Barabbas," they answered. What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked. They all answered, "Crucify Him!" "Why? What crime has He committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know again that I find no basis for a charge against Him." ~CRUCIFY HIM!~ As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify Him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against Him." The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law He must die, because He claimed to be the Son of God." When Pilate heard this he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. "Where do You come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. "Do You refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" Jesus answered, "You would have no power over Me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed Me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this Man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar." ~The Scourging~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~THE SCOURGING~ Jesus was then taken by the Roman guards and violently whipped. This scourging would have taken place on the courtyard between the judgment seat and the gates, so everyone would have seen it. Jesus was stripped naked, His hands were rebound and He was tied to a wooden stake. The whip used was made of thin strands of leather with animal knuckle bones tied along the strands. There were also several other extremely sharp, quick cutting objects tied to it as well. The whip was designed to cause the most pain and suffering possible and was known as scourging. Scourging was called the "little death" It preceded the "big death": Crucifixion. A great many people would die during a scourging because it was so violent. The scourging process was not merely limited to the victim's back; rather they were whipped all over their entire body. By the time a scourging was done, the victim was not recognizably human. When they were done scourging Him, the soldiers put His upper clothes back on Him and lead Him back in front of Pilate. ~By His Stripes You Are Healed~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) We will compare Jesus' scourging (Matthew 27:26, Mark 5:15, John 19:1)to the Parable of the Sower Matthew 13:3-23, Luke 8:4-15). This comparison will provide a more-in depth understanding of how Jesus' suffering provided healing. Understanding how the parable and Jesus' scourging connect to one another is crucial to understanding the degree of suffering that Jesus willingly endured so that we would be healed. Isaiah 53:5b says, "....with His stripes we are healed." The people of Jesus’ day well understood the process of farming. They understood that unless soil was properly tilled that the seed would not have been provided the best environment in which to grow. When Jesus spoke this parable, He knew that people would easily relate to it because farming and plowing were extremely common not only in His day but throughout Biblical history. ~PARABLE OF THE SOWER~ The Parable of the Sower reads,” A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear." ~JESUS EXPLAINS THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER~ Jesus then explains the Parable: “Listen then to what the Parable of the Sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." ~THE SOIL OF OUR HEARTS~ As we see above, the Parable of the Sower speaks of seeds being sown into different types of soil. The seeds represent the word of God. The soil represents our hearts. When you look at the 4 different conditions of the soil in which the seeds fell into, you see that Jesus is illustrating the various types of acceptance men portray when they hear the Word of God. Jesus had to suffer so that our hearts would all have the opportunity to receive the Word on fertile, spiritual soil. The Parable then continues and says that those who receive the Word on healthy, fertile soil produce a healthy harvest of spiritual fruit. Yet, there are the other 3 conditions in which the seed did not take root and produce a spiritual crop. Some of the seed fell on a path representing those who hear the Word of God but allow Satan to take it from them. There was the seed that fell on the rocky place representing a man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The seed that fell among thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. ~JESUS' DESIRE FOR US TO HAVE FERTILE SOIL~ Jesus longs for all of our hearts to be fertile so that they can produce a large spiritual harvest that glorifies Him and our relationship to Him. Jesus cares about this healing relationship with us so much that He endured a very painful scourging prior to His Crucifixion. ~JESUS' SCOURGING PRODUCES AN ABUNDANT CROP~ (Luke 4:18-21) Jesus was very clear that one of His primary purposes was to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1-2, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.” Jesus came to heal us and free us from all hindrances that are produced from being in bondage to sin. It was only through His stripes that we could be totally healed; spiritually, mentally, and physically. ~ISAIAH 53:5~ The Bible says that by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). This verse provides us with the purpose of Jesus enduring one of the most horrendous forms of punishment. His stripes were inflicted upon Him by a brutal scourging which preceded Crucifixion. A scourging was so bad that it was named the “little death" which preceded the "big death" of the Crucifixion. Consider Psalm 129:3, “Plowmen have plowed my back and made their furrows long.” It is no coincidence that Scripture refers to *aggressively* tilling soil by plowing for the sole purpose of planting seeds so that a great crop can be harvested. ~THE NECESSITY OF PROPERLY TILLED SOIL~ Unless the soil was properly tilled, the seeds would not produce this desired crop. Jesus willingly suffered and endured a physical tilling so that our spiritual soil could be receptive to the seed of God’s Word. So that our spiritual soil, our hearts, could be rid of the sin that prevents the seeds from properly growing. ~THE PLOWING~ Not only does this verse describe WHY Jesus endured the scourging but it also clearly provides a gruesome picture as to the *unfathomable lengths* that He *willingly endured* so that we can be healed. When a victim was scourged his back and the rest of his body looked like a field that has just been thoroughly plowed. By the end of the scourging, Jesus’ back had many deep lacerations that resembled plowed rows of flesh. To be honest, this is a very unsettling mental picture yet it should also make us aware of the great lengths and the unspeakable love of our Savior that He would willingly endure something this painful and harmful so that we could be free and healed from the repercussions of sin. Yet He willingly endured this for each one of us. Isaiah 50:6a says, “I offered my back to those who beat me.” He offered His back. Consider the unspeakable love of our Savior that He would willingly offer not only His back but His entire body for our healing and salvation. Deeply ponder what value you truly hold to Him that He would be willing to do this for you so that you could be healed and through salvation have a personal relationship with Him. ~C.H. SPURGEON'S COMMENTARY~ The following is an excerpt from C.H. Spurgeons's “The Treasury of David” which further expounds on these concepts. [When referring to the first part of Ps 129:3] “The plowers plowed up on my back.” The scourgers tore the flesh as ploughmen furrow a field. Many a heart has been in like case; smitten and sore wounded by them that use the scourge of the tongue; so smitten that their whole character has been cut up and scored by calumny. The true church has in every age had fellowship with her Lord under His cruel flagellations. They made long their furrows: ....as if delighting in their cruel labour. They missed not an inch, but went from end to end of the field, meaning to make thorough work of their congenial engagement. Those who laid on the scourge did it with a thoroughness which showed how hearty was their hate. There does not seem to be any need to look for an interpretation of this in scourging, or any other bodily infliction of pain; it seems to be "a figurative mode of expressing severe oppression." The plowers plowed upon my back: ....they made long their furrows. When the Lord Jesus Christ was in his suffering state, and during His passion, these words here predicted of Him were most expressly realized. Whilst He remained in the hands of the Roman soldiers they stripped him of His raiment; they bound Him with cords to a pillar; they flogged Him. This was so performed by them, that they made ridges in His back and sides: they tore skin and flesh, and made Him bare even to the bone, so that His body was like a ploughed field; the gashes made in it were like ridges made in a ploughed field; these were on His back. "The plowers plowed upon my back: ....they made long their furrows." Whilst every part of our Lord's sorrows and sufferings is most minutely set forth in the sacred hymns, Psalms, and songs, contained in what we style the Book of Psalms, yet we shall never comprehend what our most blessed Lord, in every part of His life, and in His passion and death, underwent for us: ...may the Lord the Spirit imprint this fresh expression used on this subject effectually upon us. Our Lord's words here are very expressive of the violence of His tormentors and their rage against Him, and of the wounds and torments they had inflicted on Him. It is only through the plowing of Jesus that our healed hearts can produce the fertile soil necessary to produce a fruitful harvest from the seeds of God’s Word. If Jesus had not allowed Himself to be ploughed for us, then we would have no hope of freedom from sin or any ability to produce an abundant fruitful harvest. In John 15: 1-7, 8 Jesus says that we must totally depend on Him for our harvest. Without Him we can produce nothing. If He had not endured what He did we would have no hope of salvation or healing. John 15:1-7, 8: "I am the true vine, and My Father is the Gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. This is to My Father's Glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.” ~TO BEAR A FRUITFUL HARVEST~ The depth of the love that Jesus demonstrated during the remaining hours of His life will never cease to astound me. Like David said in Psalm 139:6, "Such knowledge is too wonderful [impossible to grasp or comprehend] for me, too lofty [unreachable] for me to attain." Jesus' scourging provided complete healing; mental, spiritual, and emotional. The painful, physical plowing of Jesus' back provided restorative plowing for the spiritual soil of our hearts. When the spiritual soil of our hearts has been graciously healed by Jesus, we are ready to receive the spiritual seed of His Word. It is important to realize that we cannot self-heal our hearts. Only Jesus can do this for us. A healed, healthy heart has had all the weeds of sinful hindrance removed and thoroughly plowed up. The Bible says that when we accept Jesus' salvation, we accept His healing. His healing provides a "new heart and a new spirit" within us (Ezekiel 36:26). He will use this new heart and new spirit to produce spiritual fruit of healing that will glorify His Father. ~Crown of Thorns~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~A CROWN OF THORNS~ Then the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and pushed it roughly into His head. The thorns they used were 2 to 3 inches in length. They then clothed Him in a purple robe and went up to Him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck Him in the face. When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them,"Here is the Man!" Pilate brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, "Take Him away! Take Him away! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" ~The Purpose Behind the Crown of Thorns~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below. [Last 2 sources]) There are several types of ‘thorns’ in our life. Jesus wore a crown of thorns so that we could be freed from their prickling imprisonment. Every part of the suffering and wicked abuse Jesus suffered provides us direct healing, redemption, or salvation in some way. All of His suffering provides our release from our sinful enslavement. Much of this material comes directly from a Jewish commentary. It is important to note that in this text that God and Jesus are referred to by traditional Hebrew names. God is known as "Yahweh or YHVH." Yeshua is the original Hebrew proper name for Jesus ~VARIOUS DEFINITIONS OF THE WORD 'THORN.' The English word "thorn" is used to translate a number of original Hebrew words of the Old Testament, the two most-occurring (pronounced) "cot-seh", meaning "pricking," and "shaw-yith," meaning "weeds, or briers." Neither of the Hebrew words is the name for a specific species or variety of thorny plant. In the New Testament, "thorn" is used to translate the Greek words (pronounced) "skol-ops," meaning "withered, or prickly" (used by Paul to describe some sort of health problem that he suffered from, his "thorn in the flesh," and "ak-an-thah" meaning "a thorn," which was used for a thorn plant, or plants, of some sort - including that which was used to make Christ's "crown of thorns" when He was being gleefully brutalized by the Roman military thugs (all of whom are going to face their "victim" again some day to answer for what they did above and beyond the call of duty) at the time of His crucifixion. ~BIBLE VERSES THAT DEFINE THORNS AND THEIR USE~ The Bible makes many references to “thorns” and their harmful nature. Please consider the verses below. After they chose to sin, Adam and Eve found thorns to be much more abundant growing in the soil that they themselves were taken from: "Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."(Genesis 3:18-19 KJV) Good or evil are not hidden for long; always "Ye shall know them by their fruits":"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." (Matthew 7:16-19 KJV) The parable of the sower used an analogy of thorns (the vain, worthless cares of the World) as one of the obstacles to a righteous life: "And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them" (Matthew 13: 4-7 KJV) The Roman troops mocked Christ as "the King of the Jews" by making a crown of thorns for Him; come the Judgment Day, they will see Him wearing a very different crown (i.e. Revelation 19: 12): "Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto Him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head. And after that they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from Him, and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him." (Matthew 27:27-31 KJV) ~THORNS THAT CHOKE THE WORD~ [If someone asked you]"Do you enjoy thorns?" I will assume you emphatically answered in the negative to that question. Yet, for those who claim they do not like thorns, we sure do allow them to grow up all around us. In Matthew 13:3-8, Mark 4: -8, and Luke 8:5-8, we have Yeshua’s [Jesus] teaching known as the "Parable of the Sower" – or rather, based on an alternative reading in Hebrew, the "Parable of the Seed." In this parable, a sower went forth to sow or scatter seed. The seeds landed in four different places. Some fell on the side of the road where there was no soil. As a result, the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky soil. They sprouted and began to grow, but because of the shallowness of the soil, their root system failed to develop properly. They withered and died in the heat of the afternoon sun. Some seeds fell among thorns. They grew quite well for a while. They flowered and even began to form fruit. However, the thorns sprung up and choked the plants, preventing further development. The plants eventually became unfruitful. Thankfully, though, some of the seeds landed in good soil. They sprouted, grew, flowered, and produced much fruit. For Yeshua’s full explanation of this parable, see Matthew 13:18-23. In this article, however, I wish to focus primarily on the third group of seeds – the ones that fell among the thorns. Yeshua explained, “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). Yeshua likened the thorns to “cares of this world” and “deceitfulness of riches.” The corresponding section in Luke’s narrative refers to thorns as “cares and riches and pleasures of this life” (Luke 8:14). Mark wrote that the thorns are “the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in” (Mark 4:19). The word that one hears corresponds to the “word of the kingdom” (Matthew 13:19), i.e. the good news of the kingdom of YHVH (Yahweh -God)restored to Israel (Acts 1: 6). To hear does not mean to merely “to hear with our ears.” As we have written in ”Hear, O Israel”, “to hear” in the Hebrew language (emv, shama) indicates the involvement of one’s heart and one’s actions. It entails a positive and active response to what one “hears” with the ears. ~CARES OF THIS WORLD~ What are “cares of this world”? In perhaps one of His most elegant and clear teachings on the eternal nature of the Torah (the “Sermon on the Mount”), Yeshua expounded on the cares of this world. “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit [of time] unto his stature [lifespan]? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if Elohim [Mighty God] so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith [trusting faithfulness]? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles [nations] seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of Elohim, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:25-34). Yeshua’s words ring out with simplistic beauty. Let us rejoice today rather than worry about tomorrow. Let us focus on the good that we can do today, instead of worry about what might happen next week, next month, or even next year! Worrying is an unnecessary and highly destructive behavioral pattern far too common in our society. Brethren, has it permeated our lives, the lives of the saints – the holy people – the am qodesh (sdq-Me)? When we worry about bills, mortgage payments, employment, and sustenance of any type – in a word, money – we fail to live up to the high standard of our calling. We diminish ourselves, and we dishonor our relationships with others, including our brothers and sisters. Worrying is the natural result of a lack of trust. It is the result of setting our minds on earthly things instead of on heavenly things (Colossians 3:1-2). Clearly then, the one who allows the concerns of this world to choke off his growth and cut off fruit production is in serious trouble. If you find yourself caught in a trap of anxious care and worry, then pray to your Father in heaven for His support and comfort; and exercise self-discipline by focusing on His righteousness – the Torah (Psalms 119:142) – and the reestablishment of His kingdom to Israel. ~DECEITFULNESS OF RICHES~ The Holy Bible has much to say about the deceitfulness of riches. Cautioning us not to put our trust in riches, Solomon wrote, “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death” (Proverbs 11:4). Again, “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch” (Proverbs 11:28). However, nowhere do the Holy Scriptures condemn riches. Riches are not the problem. We are the problem. Sadly, we fall prey rather easily to the deceptions of the adversary – the one who “deceiveth the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). We create the problem when we allow the adversary –Satan – to deceive us into placing our trust in anything that cannot save, including riches. Material riches do not lead to salvation. Rather spiritual righteousness, which YHVH imparts to us, as we trust Him (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4: 20-22, Galatians 3:6, and James 2 :23), leads to salvation. Riches can easily deceive. “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:4-5). Labour not to be rich. What a statement! If only we could hearken to these words. How much happiness and satisfaction do we miss out on because we do not live up to our calling – our vocation? So, if we are not to work to be rich, then for what are we to work? We are to labour for the will of YHVH before anything else. If we seek Him first, He will take care of the rest. It is really that simple. Consider this teaching on generosity and stinginess from Matthew 6:19-23. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light [lamp] of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” What does he mean, “The lamp of the body is the eye”? To answer that question, we need to learn what He meant by the expressions, a “single eye” and an “evil eye.” What did Yeshua mean by a “single eye”? Here, the Greek word for “single” is "aplouv" ("haplous," Strong’s #573), which can mean “single”, “simple”, “whole”, or “sound.” In other words, an eye that is "haplous" is a good eye – one that is functioning well. Notice this proverb: "He that hath a [good] eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor” (Proverbs 22:9). The expression, “good eye” is a Hebraic idiom indicating “generosity.” Someone with a good eye” or a “single eye” is generous. On the other hand, an “evil eye” refers to one who is stingy [consumed by the consumption of worldly gain]. We read in the book of Proverbs 23:6-7, “Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” Also, “He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him” (Proverbs 28:22). Therefore, in summing up His meaning, we find that Yeshua used the proverb, “the lamp of the body is the eye”, as a sort of spiritual barometer. The amount of light shining forth from our lives, i.e. the lamp of the body, directly correlates with the level of generosity in our lives, i.e. the condition of the eye. Think about that for a while. ~LUSTS AND PLEASURES OF THIS LIFE~ Lusts are enticing, and desires are alluring. They draw us away from a healthy and right relationship with our Maker. Therefore, we need to control our lusts and our desires [by totally submitting them to Jesus. We cannot do this successfully in and of ourselves], reigning them in and “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of the Messiah” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Unbridled and unrestrained desires will choke off our spiritual growth. Notice how James explains it. “Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted of Elohim: for Elohim cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:13-15). In these few words, James outlined the process that leads to death, i.e. to having thorns choke the young plants. Death does not happen immediately. It must run its course. Lust leads to sin, which results in death. However, the problem is not lust per se. We create the problem when we stray from the light of the truth. When the lustful thought “conceives”, then we sin. Clearly, the Holy Scriptures teach that deceitful and corrupt lusts of the flesh (Romans 13:14 and Galatians 5:16) and of the mind (Ephesians 2:3, 4:22-23, and 2 Timothy 4:3) lead to death. However, we can learn to control these aspects of life. In fact, we must learn to control them,through the power of Jesus. The only true way to permanently control these aspects of life is to totally entrust all of ourselves to God. He will then guide us with His light into life choices that will forever keep our crop of faith from being choked by the thorns of unsatiated desire. Thankfully, Jesus can stop the process before lust “conceives.” We can see this elucidated by Paul in his correspondence to the Hebrews. “By faith [trust] Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of Elohim, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach [contempt and abuse and shame borne for] for the Messiah to be greater [worth more] than the riches or the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the [looked forward to the]recompense of the reward” (Hebrews 11:24-26). Moses was the “son of Pharaoh’s daughter”, a term used to designate the heir to the Egyptian throne. He very well understood the pleasures of his Egyptian lifestyle, not to mention the ones that would be available to him when he became the next Pharaoh. More importantly, however, he understood that those pleasures were temporary – that they would only last for a short season. Indeed, sin can generate pleasures, but they are deceitful [temporarily satisfying] pleasures – just like riches – because they lead to death instead of life. they are temporary rather than eternal. Notice the focus of David, the great psalmist of Israel: “Thou [YHVH] wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy Presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalms 16:11). He focused on living in the presence of YHVH, where there would be “fullness of joy” and “pleasures for evermore”! ~OUR CHOICE~ When we worry, we allow thorns to grow in the midst of our gardens. When we allow the deceitfulness of riches to creep in and stinginess [emulating that of worldly desires] to rule our lives rather than generosity [emulating that of Jesus], we cultivate thorns that strangle our growth. When we desire the pleasures of this world more than the righteousness of YHVH, and when we follow worldly lusts that lead to sin, we encourage thorns to grow out of the soil of our minds [hearts] to choke off the production of fruit. Essentially, thorns symbolize the ultimate barrier to the covenant relationship that exists between YHVH and His people. If thorns are growing in your spiritual garden, then what can you do to root them out? First, you must want to root them out [with all your heart, mind, soul and strength]. That is your decision. No one can make it for you. Second, you should realize, as Paul did in Philippians 4:13, that you “can do all things through the Messiah which strengtheneth” you. Also, understand that you can alter the course of your life, and that you need not be a prisoner of your past. As Paul wrote, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of Elohim in Messiah Yeshua” (Philippians 3:13-14). Paul understood where the true treasures of this life can be found. True riches do not come from the temporary things or empty promises of the world. True treasure comes from completely and totally surrendering your entire heart to Jesus. Jesus said where your heart is, there you treasure will also be (Luke 12:34). Paul's true treasure was found in the calling of Jesus for Whom he had surrendered his entire life and heart. Paul said "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ" (Philippians 3:8). Our Father did not call us to fail but to be more than conquerors [through Him Who loved us] (Romans 8:37). He did not call us so that thorns would choke us off. YHVH called us to overcome! As John wrote, “For whatsoever is born of Elohim overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith [trusting faithfulness]” 1 John 5:4). Brothers and sisters in Messiah [through the power of Jesus], we committed our lives to the Master for nurturing good soil, not soil containing thorn seeds. In fact, Yeshua said that He chose His disciples to “bring forth much fruit” (John 15:16). These encouraging words do not correspond to the destiny of the seed that landed in the third type of soil, but rather of the seed that landed in the fourth type of soil – a destiny Yeshua intended for His students (talmidim). “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matthew 13:23). That is your destiny. That is your decision. ~A CROWN OF THORNS FOR A CROWN OF LIFE~ Recall from the verses mentioned at the beginning of this section that the first time thorns are mentioned in the Bible is when they are seen as a curse of death that befell all mankind because of Adam and Eve's choice to sin. "Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground [die]; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." (Genesis 3:18-19 KJV) The consequences of sin mean that we will continually struggle with thorns and thistles in our earthly gardens as well as our spiritual gardens. If the thorns and thistles are not properly tended to, they will choke the breath of life out of our spiritual crop. The death from worldly cares will choke out the life of God's Word, causing death to our crop. In Genesis 1:1, we see how all life began. "In the beginning God CREATED the heavens and the Earth." It is important to note that the Hebrew word used for "created" is "Bara'" meaning to "create something from nothing." Indeed, man's very existence was created from the "nothingness of dust" into the "something of life" (Genesis 2:7). Psalm 51:10 begins, "CREATE in me a clean heart, O God." "Bara'", the Hebrew word used in Genesis 1:1 when referring to "created" is also the exact same word used here to define "create." What David is saying in this Psalm is that God "created a new heart in him from nothingness just like He created man from nothingness." Understand that God is the Author of Creation and of Life. He is not the Author of Death. God creates life from the "nothingness of death." Jesus came so that we might have this same kind of life. Jesus came that we "might have life and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). Jesus accomplished this by doing the exact opposite of what "Bara'" describes. Jesus' death meant that He went from eternal life into eternal death. Yet when He arose again, He gave us abundant life. His resurrection created ("Bara'") a new heart and life in all believers from the nothingness of death. When we accept Jesus, He creates life in us from the nothingness of sinful death. When Jesus willingly allowed them to place the Crown of Thorns on His Head, He overcame the prickly, thorny, choke of death [resulting from sinful worldly cares]. He suffered death in our place so that we might have abundant life. when He wore the Crown of Thorns and died with it on His Head, on the Cross, He victoriously conquered the nothingness of sinful death. His victorious assault on death, meant that He would forever possess the power to create life from death. When we accept Him, He works in our heart to "Bara'" a new heart from the absolute nothingness of sinful death. In doing so, He uproots all thorns and thistles so that He can harvest a plentiful, spiritual crop. He continually prunes this crop so that it will continually glorify His Father (John 15:8). Jesus loved you enough to willingly endure the choking death of thorny sin. In doing so, He was able to create abundant life in you from the absolute nothingness of sin and death. We should always humbly appreciate and never forget how much He loved us that He would willingly do this for us. What a loving and mighty God we serve! ~The Washing of Hands~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~PILATE "WASHES HIS HANDS FREE" OF JESUS' BLOOD~ When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this Man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!" All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" The act of Pilate washing his hands in front of the people would have been considered Shocking and surprising. This was a Jewish tradition that normally only Jewish judges did after they had found nothing wrong with a prisoner, but he had still been condemned to death. It basically meant 'Whatever you do to Him, it's nothing to do with me!' and is where we get the expression, 'washing our hands of something'. This is the only recorded time that a Roman judge did this and it would have been very symbolic that Pilate thought Jesus was a good man and completely innocent. Pilate saw that, to avoid a riot, he no choice but to send Jesus for execution. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will. Jesus was then led away to be crucified. ~Jesus Led Away To Be Crucified~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~JESUS IS LED AWAY TO BE CRUCIFIED~ It was normal in Rome for there to be a gap of two days before a prisoner's judgment and execution, but in Roman colonies, such as Israel, the sentence was often carried out straight away. The Jews especially wanted the death of Jesus to take place as soon as possible, as the next day was the Sabbath (the Jewish holy day) and the final ceremonial meal of the Passover celebrations was to take place after sunset. Jesus would have been dressed back in His own clothes for the procession to the place of execution. The procession would have been made up of four top Roman soldiers per prisoner and under the charge of a centurion. The procession was normally led by the centurion with one of the guards walking in front of each prisoner holding up a white board with the crime of the prisoner written on it. The processions normally took the longest route possible through the streets to show the prisoners off to as many people as possible. But Jesus' procession went quite a short way to get the place of execution, because the execution needed to take place as quickly as possible. The procession left Pilate's palace and went through the first gate to Acru, a busy shopping area of the city. The shops would have been closed for the Passover celebrations, but there still would have been a large crowd watching with sympathy and pity on the condemned prisoners. Jesus would have been followed in the procession by the two other prisoners who were to be crucified with Him. (They had been convicted of theft.) Prisoners were often made to carry the cross piece of their own cross which was tied across their shoulders. (Often their heads were also tied back to make the journey as painful as possible, but there is no evidence that this was done to Jesus.) ~SIMON, THE CYRENE~ Jesus had not eaten, drank, or slept since being arrested the previous evening and had been severely beaten many times. It was not surprising, therefore, that He was so weak that He collapsed under the weight of His cross piece. However, He did not collapse until He reached the city wall. The Romans would not have wanted Him to die before He was executed, so they pulled a man called Simon of Cyrene from the watching crowd to carry the cross. (Simon was probably a Black Jew on pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover celebrations and was camping on the road outside the city. Historical legend suggests that he became a follower of Jesus and one of the leaders of the early Church.) Jesus was probably carried the rest of the way by two Roman soldiers.
~Jesus Became Sin Through Suffering~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) When Jesus came as our Sacrificial Substitute, He not only had to endure the Cross but various kinds of abuse, torture, mocking, and revilement. Each part of Jesus’ Death had a significant meaning and was directly related to a healing of some kind or a type of release from spiritual bondage. In the original Hebrew, Isaiah 53:4-5, reads, “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted...But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being [peace]fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.” Let us dissect these verses and see how the transliterated Hebrew meanings of its phrases reveal how Jesus’ Sacrifice and Death brought true healing. “Surely our griefs He Himself bore” is transliterated to say, "Truly our sicknesses and illnesses He Himself carried and actually became. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "He made Him Who knew no sin to be [become] sin on our behalf..." “And our sorrows He carried” is transliterated to say, "Our mental and physical sorrows burdened Him and weighted Him down. He took the heavy burden of life's baggage that we constantly drag behind us. He carried it for us so that we would no longer be forced to. “Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken and smitten of God, and afflicted” is transliterated to say, "Yet in spite of His willingness to heal/save us, we judged Him as one who was beaten down and struck directly by God. We saw Him as one that God would eventually or presently smite, hit, beat, slay, kill because of who He was. Our burdens often weighted Him down, causing Him to stoop often. His face was downcast, and and displayed a depressed expression. “Yet [in spite of this], He allowed Himself to be] pierced through for our transgressions”is transliterated to say, "He was fatally wounded and bore [to make a hole with a pointed tool] through (completely and utterly)for our transgressions against God. He willingly allowed Himself to be profaned, desecrated, and polluted because of our sin and rebellion against God. How accurately the Bible predicted how Jesus would suffer on the Cross! “He was crushed for our iniquities” is transliterated to say, "He was crushed, broken and shattered for our perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity." “The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him” is transliterated to say, "The discipline and correction for our completeness, physical soundness, and spiritual peace fell upon Him. “And by His scourging we are healed" is transliterated to say, "By His bruising, welts, wounds, and blows resulted from the stripes that came from being whipped, we can become fresh, completely healed, and repaired as if the Physician had ‘permanently fixed’ each one of our unhealed wounds. So when we combine all of the above transliterated meanings for these verses it would read as follows: “Surely He bore and actually became our sicknesses and illnesses. He took on, became, and bore the heavy burden [He lifted off of our shoulders] of our mental and physical sorrows so that we no longer “drag” them behind us ....Yet in spite of His obvious willingness to bear these burdens, we judged Him as one who deserved to be beaten down, downcast, and punished by God. We judged Him as one that deserved the judgment of God which involved fatally wounding Him [by being bore through with crucifixion nails]. He allowed Himself to become desecrated and polluted for our rebellious sin against God...He willingly was punished and was crushed, broken, and shattered for our perversity, depravity, guilt and iniquity He bore the discipline correction, and consequences for us so that we could be totally complete and spiritually sound with God in personal relationship...By His bruising, welts, wounds, and blows [resulting from scourging], we can be permanently and completely healed by the Great Physician. ~Jesus Is Crucified~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~JESUS IS CRUCIFIED~ The procession carried on through the outskirts of Jerusalem until it came to a place called Golgatha (which means 'Place of the skull' because it is a rocky out-crop that looked like a skull. When the procession reached Golgotha,they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it. The drink offered to Jesus prior to His crucifixion was a drink of strong wine and myrrh (an embalming agent and anesthetic. Jesus only took a small sip and refused the drink as He did not want His senses dulled. In order for His Sacrifice to be a complete substitution for our sins, He had to completely endure each and every agonizing moment. At this point the soldiers would have first put the uprights of the crosses into the ground. These would have been about (6 feet) high just high enough that the prisoners feet would not touch the ground. The cross pieces were then laid on the ground and the prisoners were re-tied to them with arms extended, so that the plank went across the shoulder blades, and were tied on at the elbows. Large iron nails (the size of railroad spikes) were then driven through each wrist nailing the prisoner on the cross piece. The cross-piece was then connected to a rope and pulley and pulled up onto the upright, guided by soldiers using ladders. (In very large Roman places of execution, there were permanent scaffolds set up, so the prisoners could be raised up very easily. But Golgotha was probably not big enough.) The cross-pieces were then nailed and / or tied onto the upright. A small rough wooden seat was put onto the upright to help support some of the prisoners weight. In order to cause the most shame possible, the prisoner was then stripped totally naked and mercilessly thrown down onto the splintered, rugged Cross. Then the prisoner's feet were nailed to the upright, either individually or sometimes a huge nail was used that went through both feet, one on top of the other. Condemned prisoners left in the the crucifix position, they could sometimes take days to die. They either died of exhaustion or more commonly they drowned when their lungs filled up with body fluids and blood. Because Jesus was the main prisoner to be executed, His cross was placed in the center, and probably the highest, of the three crosses, with each criminal on either side of Him. The sign with the crimes of Jesus written on it, that had been carried in the procession, was then nailed to the very top of the upright. It said 'The King of the Jews' in Latin (so Romans and educated people could read it), Aramaic (so the Jews could read it and Greek (so Greeks and other educated pilgrims could read it). This term would have been very insulting to the Jews, and the Romans would have meant it to be so! In fact, the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, Do not write, "The King of the Jews", but, He said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate replied, What I have written, I have written. ~Father Forgive Them~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~FATHER, FORGIVE THEM~ In the moments immediately following His crucifixion, the Bible records the first statement that Jesus uttered. He said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Not "Father curse them." Not "Father destroy them." But, "Father FORGIVE them." Keep in mind, all that Jesus had endured. From illegal 'trials', the beatings, the mockery, the ridicule, the pain, the crown of thorns, the painful scourging....and now He has just been nailed to a rugged Cross with huge spikes. He was in the most horrific pain imaginable. Of all the things He could have been thinking, feeling, or enduring, the only thing He focused on was forgiveness. The only thing He focused on was His love for man. This is the heart of God's precious Son. Jesus' statement is a powerful testament to Who He truly is. Jesus' statement provides a direct look into the utterly divine heart of God. A heart that placed everyone's needs before His Own. A heart that *willingly* left heaven and all of its glory, perfection, and splendor to come and *willingly* die for man. Man, who did not deserve anything but the consuming wrath of God for sinful choices.... yet was freely given the love of God. The Bible says that Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His Own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." He chose to love us; we did not choose to love Him. (John 15:16) Only through accepting His Sacrifice can we ever hope to reciprocate that love. ~More Pain, More Insults~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~JESUS' GARMENTS DIVIDED~ The Bible says that after they crucified Him that they divided up His clothes by casting lots among the four soldiers that had escorted Him to Golgotha. His clothes would have consisted of, a Jewish prayer head covering, a cloak, a linen girdle / undergarment, His sandals and His main robe. The soldiers would have drawn lots for the first four items, but who would have the main robe, that would have been made of good quality cloth and so was worth quite a lot of money, was decided by gambling with dice. This made an Old Testament prophesy come true, where it says in the book of Psalms 22:18 that: "They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." ~JESUS CONTINUALLY REVILED~ The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at Him...as did the chief priests and religious leaders. They said, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God the Chosen One." ~Sour Wine Given To Jesus~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) The soldiers also came up and mocked Him. They offered Him wine vinegar and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." ~Today You Will Be With Me In Paradise~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE~ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked Him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this Man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when You come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." He knew that Jesus was innocent of any crimes and told the other criminal to keep quiet and said that they really deserved to be there, but Jesus didn't. By asking Jesus to remember him when He entered into paradise (or heaven), the criminal would have meant 'judgment day' or the end of the world that was written about in the Jewish scriptures. He would have been very shocked (and so would have all the onlookers) when Jesus said, "Today you will be with Me in paradise". The Jewish onlookers would have understood this to mean that Jesus was claiming the power to judge people and decide who would enter Heaven. It was noon when the sky went dark. It was called the Sixth hour because the hours of the Jewish day were measured from sunrise, about 6.00am. By this time, Jesus had been hanging on the cross about three hours. ~Woman Behold Thy Son~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~JESUS SAID, "WOMAN BEHOLD YOUR SON!"~ Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple whom He loved (John) standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, John took her into his home. These were the only disciples of Jesus to be there when He was executed. John was the only disciple who had been with Jesus all the time since He had been arrested. ~My God, My God~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~"ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?"~ It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" The sky stayed black from noon until 3.00pm. The darkness would have not only been in the sky, but also in Jesus' heart as God had completely removed his power from Jesus and put each and every one of humanity's sin from the past, present and future on Jesus. ~T"I Thirst"~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He is calling for Elijah." Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there. Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He soaked the sponge with wine vinegar put it on a stick (a stalk of a hyssop plant), and lifted it to Jesus' lips to drink. The rest said, "Now leave Him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save Him." ~Sin Sours, Hyssop Heals~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS MIRROR THE SOURNESS OF SIN AND THE HEALING WATERS OF GOD~ This following explanation is a detour from the original history of Jesus' death. It has been provided, however, so that we can understand and appreciate the unfathomable limit that He went to so that we might be saved. I included this section so that we can gain a deeper appreciation and reflective gratitude for what our Precious Savior endured for us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8) Let us begin by reading the following passage of Scripture. Exodus (12:1-7, 11b-14, 21-24) 1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. 7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. 11b So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover. 12 ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 ‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance 21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. 24 And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. 25 It will come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. The Old and New Testaments perfectly mirror one another. They are absolutely consistent that in order to be free from sinful bondage, that the blood of an innocent lamb must die. It is only when this blood covers the sins of humanity, that the sins are forgiven. Both testaments clearly demonstrate how sin results in death. Both testaments show that death [caused by sin] always will result in the *sting* of death in the most important parts of our lives. All that we hold dear, the firstborn of our joys, will become dead if we continue to live with unremissed sin and not give ourselves entirely to God. The first notable similarity between the Old and New Testaments is the consistent theme of captivity and bondage. In the Old Testament, Israel had been in bondage and were slaves to the Egyptians. In the New Testament, those who are given the opportunity to believe in Jesus, but who refuse to accept Him are also in bondage to sin and death. They are spiritual captives and are imprisoned slaves in their own spiritual land of Egypt. The second notable similarity is how they were released from this captivity and bondage. In the Old Testament, God protected those who obeyed and trusted in His calling. The Jews had to pick out a spotless, unblemished lamb. After a certain period of time, they had slay the lamb and use its innocent blood to cover their sins before the eyes of God. In the New Testament, God allowed His Own Son to become the spotless, perfect, unblemished Lamb who willingly allowed Himself to be substituted on our behalf so that our sins would be eternally covered and remissed. The third recurring theme between the Old and New Testaments, is that where there is sin, there is death. As you read above, God commanded the Israelites to dip a hyssop branch into the innocent blood of the slain lamb and paint it on their doors. The hyssop plant that was used to brush the blood onto the door represented total cleansing and purity from sin. David, in Psalm 51:7, says, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” What is also extremely interesting is the how the blood was painted onto the door. The men of the household applied the blood from the lamb upon the two doorposts and the lintel or the top of the doorway. This would form a perfect cross and we see how this pictures our being covered by the blood of Jesus through His death on the cross. On Passover night, death passed through the land of Egypt in which they were held in bondage. Every firstborn of those who did not have the blood on their door died. Those who were spared were safe because of the blood on the door. Sin is Death. Death is responsible for taking away our firstborn. In this day, the firstborn child was considered one of the most precious, important people in the lives of their family. Our spiritual "firstborn" would also be the things that mean the most to us. In the New Testament, if we accept Him, and Him to save us....then Jesus paints His sin remissing blood onto the doors of our hearts with a hyssop plant. When His blood is painted on our doors in the shape of His cross, we are protected from the death of sin. Those, however, who do not accept Him and do not allow Him to paint His blood on the door of their hearts, will remain captive and in sinful bondage. The death from sin will ultimately destroy all that these unbelieving people hold dear. They will lose their “firstborn.” Sin will cause all the things that matter most in their life to die and be taken from them. Jesus was God’s firstborn that He willingly allowed to die so that we would not have to lose our firstborn. The last, most notable difference between the two testaments is that the sinful death always causes a painful *sting* in the lives that are affected by it. 1 Corinthians 15:55 reads, “O death where is thy sting?” In Egypt, those who lost their firstborn felt the *sting* of pain and unspeakable loss. The sting of death. This sting affected them in 2 ways. The first way that the "sting" is seen to affect them is by the level of hurt and pain they felt at the lost of their firstborn. they felt so much pain, hurt, and misery from the lost of their precious firstborn. They felt like they were in hell. The second way the sting of death affected them was by refusing to satisfy their insatiable longing for their firstborn to return. They desperately longed for their firstborn to be given back to them, but they were not. Their pain kept them in an continual hell of insatiable yearning. These 2 types of stings perfectly mirror the 2 New Testament stages of hell that Jesus would willingly endure so we would not have to. In the New Testament, God felt an unspeakable, unfathomably painful *sting* when He saw Jesus die; He was His firstborn, His most precious Son. Yet God did not withhold Him from us. He allowed Jesus to willingly die for us so that we would never have to know the eternal pain of losing our firstborn. Jesus endured the loss of everything that was dear to Him so that we would not lose the things that mattered the most to us. There were also 2 *stinging* stages of hell that Jesus had to endure. He had to endure these stages because they were part of the absolute consequence of sin. God allowed the most precious firstborn of His Heart to die on our behalf. His Son not only died physically, but He died spiritually. Jesus not only had to feel the pain from carrying the sins of the world and dying for them. He also had to feel the pain of hell. Of total death and total separation from God. If Jesus had not endured hell in addition to carrying all of the world’s sins, then His Sacrifice would have not been complete and we would all be eternally lost. Jesus experienced the first stage of hell when He endured total and utter separation from God. God turned His face away from Jesus because He was carrying all the sins of the world...past, present, and future. Jesus cries out to His Father and begs to know why He has forsaken Him? It is important to understand how *truly painful* this was for Jesus. First of all His physical body was dying because of the abuse and torture it had endured. But even worse than that is the moment God turned His Face away from Jesus, this is when Jesus began to die a spiritual death. Those damned to hell will not only have experienced a physical death but also an eternal spiritual death. Matthew 10:28 says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One Who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Those in hell will also experience exactly what Jesus experienced at this horrible moment. They will know that God has eternally turned His Face from them, and they will call out to Him. They will beg Him to shine His countenance on them. Yet God cannot look upon them, just like He could not look upon Jesus, because they are covered in sin. They will be in eternal torment and be eternally separated from God. God wanted so much to keep any man from having to endure this kind of eternal torment that He allowed Jesus to willingly endure it on our behalf. He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Eternal separation from God is not the only thing that those in hell will experience. They will understand that their sin has turned God from them and will be filled with an insatiable thirst and yearning for God. They will thirst for Him with all that they have but it will be too late. Their yearning for Him, their insatiable cravings for Him will never be satisfied. Jesus willingly endured this part of sinful Judgment, so that we would never have to be faced with such a horrible consequence. Directly following God turning His Face away from Jesus, we see that Jesus requested a drink. The last recorded request He made of mankind before His death was, “I thirst.” Psalm 22 provides a vivid, heart-wrenching account of the physical sufferings Jesus endured. Psalm 22:15 describes His thirst “...my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.” It is easy to see that He wanted His thirst quenched more than anything else at that moment. Yet even this request was denied by the sin-ridden humanity that He was currently sacrificing Himself for. He Who had given all received nothing in return. He Who had touched, healed, held, and loved did not have those needs or affections reciprocated. The Bible clearly describes how the total disregard, the lack of comfort and pity, affected Him at this moment. Psalm 69:20, “Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness [sickness]:and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters but I found none.” Never had He been lonelier than He was at this point. He now knew the loneliness that those in hell would experience. The Bible says that when He requested a drink that someone immediately soaked a sponge in sour wine vinegar. They saturated the sponge with it, placed it on a hyssop stick and lifted it to His mouth. Jesus partook of the sour wine vinegar. The Bible prophesied about Jesus enduring this particular trial. Psalm 69:21 states, “They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” The stinging, sourness of the vinegar only caused Jesus more pain. The sourness caused the open wounds around His Face and lips to sting when the sponge touched His Face. His murderers were only interested in one thing, to cause Him as much pain as possible. It is when Jesus drank the sour wine and experienced its painful stinging, that He experienced the second stage of hell. not only did He have to carry all the sins of humanity, He had to taste the sin of humanity. 1 Corinthians 15:55 states, “O death where is thy sting?” When Jesus tasted the sourness of the vinegar wine, He tasted the sourness of sin. When the vinegar made His Face and lips painfully sting, He understood the sting of death caused by sin. He now had a total understanding of what hell was like. He understands what it feels like and what it means to be utterly and totally separated from God. To be damned to eternal torment in which God’s face is forever turned away from you, never to look upon you again through all eternity. Jesus also understands the insatiable desire to have something refreshing and healing that satisfies the thirst. Yet all He could drink was sour sin vinegar from the stinging cup of death. He could not drink from the healing waters of God. God had turned from Him because of our sin that He painfully bore. Those in hell will have an insatiable longing to have God turn His Face to them, but He will not. They will beg to drink the eternal Water of His Word. Yet they will only be able to taste the sourness of their sin and feel the sting of the death that it has brought them. Jesus speaks of in the parable of a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus (Luke 16: 19-31). The rich man ended up going to hell and Lazarus went to heaven because of their life choices. In hell, the rich man looked up and saw Lazarus in heaven with Abraham and begged him to let Lazarus dip his finger in refreshing, cool water and then touch his tongue with one drop of this water. Yet like Jesus, his request was not honored. He was in eternal damnation with no chance of escape. Not only was he eternally separated from God, but his insatiable longing for the refreshment of water was never to be satisfied. No matter how much he yearned for it. It is important at this point to note that the vinegar was given to Jesus on a hyssop stick. The hyssop stick symbolizes the ultimate spotless purity resulting from a total cleansing of one’s sins. In Psalm 51:7 David says, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Only through the innocent, sacrificial blood of the Lamb can our sins be remissed and eternally cleansed. Only by allowing Jesus to paint a Cross of Salvation on the door of our hearts, can God look upon us. Only through the blood of Jesus are we free to have a personal, covenanted relationship with God. Because of Jesus' Love ...We no longer have to be damned or separate from God. We no longer have to yearn for the water of God’s Word. We no longer have to taste the sourness of sin and feel the sting of death Jesus’ Sacrifice and Love paved the eternal pathway of healing salvation and restoration. May we say along with Paul, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Romans 8:37). ~It IS Finished!~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~IT IS FINISHED~ When He had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." Directly following this statement, Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit My Spirit." When He had said this, He breathed His last. This is a quote from the Jewish Psalm 31 verse 5, meaning that Jesus gave up His will and life fully to God, trusting in Him, even into death. The words were yelled as in triumph at the end of a battle, not whispered in defeat. As Jesus died, a violent earthquake shook Jerusalem. It tore in two a large curtain that hung in the Temple. ~The Veil Is Torn~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) The curtain was about 39-40 inches thick and made of the heaviest and most expensive cloth. It separated the main part of the inner Temple from the 'Holy of Holies', the room at the very center of the Temple that only one Priest was allowed to go into once a year. It tore from the top to bottom. The curtain represented the separation of God from man, so the curtain being destroyed would have been a very shocking symbol to the Jews and a sign that something powerful had happened - Jesus had opened God to everyone! Jesus' Death paved the way to bridge the gap of irreparable separation that sin had wedged between God and man. Just as Jesus was torn from top to bottom, so the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom. There was now nothing that could separate God and a man who truly sought Him with all of his heart. Immediately following the veil tearing into, the earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. ~Truly This Was The Son Of God!~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) This had a profound effect of the Roman centurion in charge of the crucifixions as he recognized who Jesus was. When the centurion, standing in front of Jesus, heard His cry and saw how He died, he exclaimed, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew Him, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. ~Blood and Water~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~BLOOD AND WATER~ Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of His bones will be broken," (Exodus 12:46; Num. 9:12; Psalm 34:20). Jewish law stated that a dead body could not be on display after sunset, especially not the Sabbath. This would have started at Sunset and remember, it would have been the Passover Sabbath, the most important Sabbath of the year. So the bodies would have be to removed quickly. People being crucified could sometimes take days to die. So to speed up the death, the legs of the prisoners were broken. Frequently, the legs of the person executed were broken or shattered with an iron club. In order for a crucifixion victim to exhale, they would have to pull up against the spikes with their hands, and push up against the spikes with their feet. This would have happened to the other two men being crucified with Jesus, but when the soldiers got to Jesus they found Him already dead. ~A Broken Heart~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~A BROKEN HEART~ It has been proven by doctors, that Jesus did not directly die from Crucifixion; He died because His heart exploded. He died, of a broken heart. This is why blood and water came out when His side was pierced. The Bible actually confirms that He died of a broken heart. Psalm 69:20,"Insults and reproach have broken My heart; I am full of heaviness and I am distressingly sick. Think about it. Jesus just took on all the sins (past, present, and future) of the world. He was in unspeakable agony, both physically and spiritually. But right up to the end of Jesus' death, His Father had not turned away from Him. Yet, it finally reached a point that His Father turned His Face away from Jesus because of our sin that He bore. The sin was so vile, that God had to turn away. Which is why Jesus cried out to His Father, asking Him why He had forsaken Him. The unspeakable stress of all of humanity's sins, His Father turning His Face away, and the obvious agony of His Death.....is it any wonder that His heart broke? God the Father had turned away His Face for the sin of the whole world had invaded the body of His Son. Jesus had become sin for you and me (2 Corinthians 5:21). God had to turn away His Face not only because of the sin that His Son became but because Jesus had to understand what it meant to be utterly separated from God. Jesus had to understand what hell was like. The final act of God turning away His Face, was what caused Jesus' heart to break. This was not 'easy' for God. He was not callous and uncaring. It is important to understand that God did NOT merely observe His Son's death from a distance. It is evident from the 4 Gospels that Jesus' Father and Himself exhibited every demonstration of true, divine love possible. I cannot personally fathom how God sat in heaven, and did not succumb to the overwhelming temptation to intervene when He saw what His Son endured. He knew if He did that all His Son went through would be in vain and we would have had no change of reconciliation with Him. He felt each and every bit of pain that His Son did. The Father also knew that He had to turn away from Jesus so that Jesus' death would cover each and every type of inconceivable separation from God. Consider the heart of His Father. Consider how unbelievably difficult and painful it was for Him to watch Jesus die. His OWN SON. Yet John 3:16 says that "God so loved the world that He gave His Only Precious Son to die for us" so that we would have the option to be freed from the bondage of sin. How many people do you know that would allow their only child to be mercilessly tortured and killed for the sake of someone who would or would not appreciate it?? It is not surprising that Jesus' heart broke. What is surprising, however, is that His Father's did not as well. ~Grave Among The Rich~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~HIS GRAVE WAS MADE AMONG THE RICH~ The tomb in which Jesus was buried fulfilled the prophecy spoken in Isaiah 53:9, "And they assigned Him a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth." These words are generally supposed to refer to a fact that was afterwards done; that Christ, Who died with wicked men, as if He Himself had been one, was buried in a rich man's grave." When Joseph of Arimathea who was a Jewish council member and a secret friend of Jesus came to ask the Romans for the body of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph was a rich land owner and had a tomb ready for a burial nearby. It was probably where he was going to be buried, but he was willing to give it up for Jesus. The Tomb would have been a large cave with two body shaped niches carved into the side walls. Joseph and another council member called Nicodemus (who had also got to know Jesus quite well) took the body of Jesus down from the Cross to the tomb and quickly embalmed the body. Mary and the other women would have also gone to the tomb, but would have only watched this initial embalming. They planned to come back on the Sunday morning, just after sunrise to embalm the body properly. This would have been the earliest time under Jewish law that they would have been allowed to return to the tomb after the Passover Sabbath. The quick embalming consisted of wrapping the body in bandages, like a mummy. The bandages would have been soaked in Myrrh as it has a strong but pleasant smell and covered up the smell of a dead body. The body would have then been laid in the niche and a very large stone was rolled in front of the tomb entrance. The disciples then left to mourn and await the sunrise on Sunday, when they could go back to the tomb and embalm the body properly. ~Guarding Of The Tomb~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~GUARDING THE TOMB~ The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. "Sir," they said, "we remember that while He was still alive that the deceiver said, 'After 3 days I will rise again.' So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that He has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. ~AN UNEXPECTED VISIT~ After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. All of a sudden there was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The women wondered amongst themselves about the sudden earthquake but also wondered, Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" All of their questions and inquiries were about to receive an unexpected answer! ~Where Is His Body~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~WHERE IS HIS BODY?~ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she quickly left the tomb to find Simon Peter and the other disciple that Jesus loved [John]. She exclaimed,"They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" Mary the mother of James, and Salome remained at the Tomb watching and expectantly waiting and praying for an explanation of all these strange events. They excitedly inquired amongst themselves as to the whereabouts of Jesus' body? ~He Is Risen!~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~HE IS RISEN!~ Suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " Then they remembered His words. ~GO TELL HIS DISCIPLES!~ "Go, tell His disciples ...and Peter...He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.'" Trembling and bewildered, the women hurried away from the tomb. As afraid as they were, however, they were also filled with tremendous joy! They eagerly ran to tell Jesus' disciples what had happened. ~Pious Deceit~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~YET ANOTHER CASE OF 'RELIGIOUS' DECEIT~ About this time, some of the guards went into the city and reported secretly to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole Him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this 'story' has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. ~Jesus' First Appearance~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~JESUS' FIRST APPEARANCE~ As Mary the mother of James and the other woman [Salome],were on their way to find the disciples, Jesus suddenly appeared to and met them. "Greetings!," He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see Me." ~WE HAVE SEEN JESUS!~ When they came back from the tomb, they excitedly told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. But the disciples did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. ~A RACE TO THE TOMB~ But curiosity got the best of Peter and John. They immediately got up and went to the tomb to investigate. Both were running, but John outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. But Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. At this point, John, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Peter and John quickly returned to report what they had experienced with the other disciples. Peter, pondered and wondered within himself what had happened. ~The Tenderness Of Jesus For Mary~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) One of the most touching and endearing moments recorded in the Bible is when Jesus revealed His Resurrected Self to Mary Magdalene. After Peter and John returned from the tomb and announced that they did not find Jesus' body and that there was no visible trace of Him to be found, Mary Magdalene returned again the tomb. With a heavy and desperate heart, Mary searched, again, to find some evidence, some tangible indication as to where the body of her Lord might be. She found nothing. She became overwhelmed with hopelessness and began weep. In light of what had happened over the last 3 days, with Jesus' unexpected sentence to crucifixion, all of the pain that she saw Him endure, all of the brutality and mocking that He suffered, and now to make matters worse His body was strangely missing. Mary was beside herself with confusion, grief, and unspeakable sorrow. Mary then broke down and began to desperately weep. Why had His body disappeared so unexpectedly? Why was there absolutely no sign, clue or tangible trace of it? Who would be so cruel as to steal His body? Had He not suffered more than enough when He was so brutally and painfully put to death? How could a thief be so shameless and vicious? Could they not let Him rest in peace, especially after all that He had just endured, so that those who loved Him could grieve and pay their condolences? These unbearable thoughts continued to rise up within Mary's, heart, one after another. Like ocean waves of excruciating agony that repeatedly assailed her hopeless soul. As she wept, she bent over to look once again into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put Him." As she finished this sentence, she felt someone stand behind her. She abruptly turned around to see a man standing beside her. She assumed that this man was the gardener. What she did not realize, is that this man was not the gardener but was Jesus Himself! Yet, Mary did not realize the man was Jesus! "Woman," He said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking He was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried Him away," she wept, "Tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him." Jesus then lovingly said one word to her, "Mary." After hearing this man say her name, her heart stopped. Immediately she knew with every fiber of her being that this Man was actually Jesus standing before her! She turned towards Him, barely believing her eyes and ears~ Am I dreaming she thought? Am I having a vision? Barely able to contain her astonishment and shock, she excitedly proclaimed,"Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus, realizing that she was about to grab onto Him in joy, said, "Do not touch or hold on to Me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to My brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.' " Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she excitedly told them all had happened and all that He had said to her. ~JESUS WAITED FOR MARY~ Jesus loved Mary and knew exactly how sad and hopeless she was. He could have gone anywhere else that day. He had already died and there was no "Biblical reason" for Him to remain there. Yet, His heart went out to Mary and He fully understood her grief. He knew that her heart was breaking from grief like His heart did on the Cross. He lovingly and eagerly awaited her return so that He could comfort her and give her heart peace and rest. He tenderly let her know that He loved her and that He was alive. Let us also note that Jesus had to tell Mary not to touch Him when she became aware of Who He was. He knew that she would reach for Him in her excitement. Do you realize that He was standing close enough to Mary that she could have touched Him if she wanted to? What a level of trust He had in her! The Bible is very clear, if she would have touched Him, before He returned to His Father as our undefiled High Priest, then He would literally risk endangering the purposes of God. Yet He willingly risked this defilement in order to let Mary know that He was alive again. He loved her so much that her personal grief and yearning for Him meant more to Him than the possibility of defilement. Of course, we know that the death of Jesus happened only once, for all, never to be repeated and forever sealed with His Resurrection. My point here is to say that even *if* He would have jeopardized His sacrifice for the sake of Mary - which, of course, is impossible - He would have appeared to her anyway. This is the true nature of our precious, compassionate, Savior! He longs to be this close with all of those who personally follow Him. Oh, how we should praise Him! ~THE FIRST MEETING OF JESUS AND MARY~ Obviously, Mary loved the Lord as her Savior with all of her heart, soul, mind, body, and strength. He fully reciprocated this love to her. The Gospels are full of examples of her faithfulness and wholehearted worship of Him. Their friendship began with her humble worship and His forgiveness. From this moment on, for the duration of His earthly ministry, she remained very close and genuinely devoted to Jesus. Below, I have included the Biblical account, along with some insightful commentary, about their first encounter. ~MARY'S SALVATION; JESUS' FORGIVENESS~ Taken from Luke 7:36-50, commentary included in source listings below. On a certain day while Jesus was teaching, one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him. The Pharisee had a prestigious home that was large enough to accommodate Jesus and an undisclosed number of other guests. Jesus went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table for a meal. As Jesus and the other guests were reclining, a woman from that town, Biblically described as living a “sinful life" stood behind Him at His Feet and wept. The original word for "sinful life" is "harmartolos" which "frequently denotes a heinous and habitual sinner." The Bible says that she fell at His feet, began to wet them with her tears. Let's attempt to grasp the magnitude of this situation. A woman, by the name of Mary Magdalene, heard that Jesus was dining at this Pharisee’s home. She was a prostitute who was well-known in that city. She obviously knew enough about Jesus to know that He could somehow change her life for the better. She came to this Pharisee’s home. She was so desperate for Jesus' salvation that she walked right through the front door, right into the middle of the festivities. Her sudden intrusion probably caused every other guest but Jesus to feel horrified at her scandalous intrusion. An intrusion by a “habitual sinner” that everyone there knew about. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume to anoint Jesus' feet. She could not even open the jar before she began sob and anoint His feet with her tears. Verse 38 indicates that she was crying so much that she that she produced enough tears to literally wash Jesus' feet. When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said within [to] himself, "If this Man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is, for she is a sinner." The Pharisee implied that Jesus obviously did not know "what kind" of woman she was. The original wording of the Pharisee’s internal thoughts is quite interesting. The English “what kind” is derived from 2 Greek words: “poios,” meaning “what,” and “dapedon,” meaning “soil.” The Pharisee’s internal comment that Christ did not know where she came from literally meant, “He has no idea [what kind] dirt she comes from.” What the Pharisee failed to realize was that dirt is dirt. We’ve all got it no matter where we come from. Jesus does not see one kind of dirt that is dirtier than another. His Blood is able to bleach any stain left by any kind of dirt. Jesus heard and addressed Simon’s inner thoughts by saying, “Simon I have something to tell you.” "Tell me, Teacher," he said. “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said. Then he turned toward Mary and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house but You did not give Me any water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give Me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing My feet. You did not put oil on My head, but she has poured perfume on My feet.” Make no mistake, it took humility for Mary to wipe the Lord’s feet with her hair. The Bible says "a woman’s hair is her glory" (1 Corinthians 11:15). Mary literally used her ‘glory’ to wipe the feet of Jesus. Middle Eastern women in Jesus’ day generally wore their hair “up.” It is extremely important to understand the depth of humility Mary displayed towards Jesus. Open sandals were the most common footwear of Jesus' day, and it was customary for guests to leave their sandals at the door when they entered a house. Since most travelers in Israel shared the main roads with camels, horses, and donkeys, it was impossible to completely avoid the droppings of these animals all day long. Sandals provided some protection to travelers, and it was *unthinkable* to wear them into a person’s homes. A servant would often wash the feet of guests in a house. The dirty job of washing the animal droppings off of everyone’s feet was reserved for the most insignificant servant of the household. The servant who washed a guest’s feet was automatically considered the “one who doesn’t count, the unimportant, expendable slave” and was openly treated with disdain. What a picture of humble worship Mary provides. She dismantled her “glory,” her hair, to wipe animal waste from Jesus’ feet. Our self-righteousness and "supposed glory" are nothing but filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) fit only to wipe His feet! If you really wanted to [openly and publicly] dishonor and humiliate a person who entered your home, all you had to do was make sure that your servants didn’t bother to wash his feet. This was especially true in a Pharisee’s house where outward cleanliness meant everything. Jesus clearly says that when He entered Simon’s house, no one washed His feet. It was if Simon was saying that he respected Jesus as much as the “animal dung that was on His sandals.” As Mary washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, did it suddenly dawn upon her what measure of disrespect had been shown toward Jesus, although He was an invited guest in that house? Very much so. She no doubt cried all the more because she was so shocked that anyone would treat Jesus, the Lord, with such open contempt. By now, there were so many tears dripping on Jesus’ feet that Mary was literally able to use them to wash away the animal dung on His feet. She had no honor or authority in the Pharisee’s house, so she couldn’t ask for a towel. Having nothing else at hand, with no towels provided by servant or master, Mary dismantled her glory and used her glory to wipe Jesus’ feet. She personally took the disdain and public disrespect of that household away from Him and took it upon herself. She took every evidence of His public rejection with her beautiful hair and took it as her own. Can you imagine what this did for the heart of God?? When Jesus openly rebuked His host, He brought the parable of the forgiven debts to life. He compared the responses of those whose debts were forgiven to Simon. All three times Christ’s description of the Pharisee’s actions began with the unsettling, “You did not.” How poignant. One of the surest signs of an ancient or modern -day Pharisee is a life characterized far more by what he does *not* do than what he does do. “No Simon, You did not sleep around. You did not take bribes. You did not externalize your depravity. But, as well, you did not give Me any water for My feet. You did not give Me a kiss. You did not put oil on My head. You did not see yourself as a sinner, and you did not receive My gift of grace, but she did.” Jesus continues in verse 47, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven — for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this Who even forgives sins?" Of all the commandments that the Pharisee had kept, she rather than he, observed the most important one, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30). The last words Jesus tenderly speaks to Mary are,"Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Oh that we all would be so humble and grateful to Jesus for His Salvation and Love. Dear Jesus, please let us all have hearts as humble and full of love for You that comes from the deepest part of our hearts...like Mary's did. May we honor and praise You with all that we have, from our best to our worst, like Mary did. "Bless the Lord, O my soul" (Psalm 103:1). ~On The Road To Emmaus~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~THE ROAD TO EMMAUS~ On the same day, Jesus appears to Cleopas and another disciple on their way to Emmaus. Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing Him. He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked Him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" "What things?" He asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified Him; but we had hoped that He was the One Who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find His body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said He was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but Him they did not see." He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His Glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if He were going farther. But they urged Him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So He went in to stay with them. When He was at the table with them, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." Then the two told what had happened on Emmaus road, and how Jesus was recognized by them when He broke the bread. ~Peace Be With You!~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~PEACE BE WITH YOU!~ While they were still talking about this, Jesus Himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself! Touch Me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." When Jesus had said this, He showed them His hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, He asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" They gave Him a piece of broiled fish and He took it and ate it in their presence. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you." And with that He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. ~Doubting Thomas Doubts No More~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told Him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe it." A week later His disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then Jesus said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas then immediately exclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." ~Why These Miracles Are Recorded~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~WHY THESE MIRACLES ARE RECORDED~ Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in the Bible. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name. ~Miracle By The Sea Of Tiberius~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) Afterward Jesus appeared again to His disciples, by the Sea of Tiberius (Sea of Galilee). It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered. He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved [John] said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water and headed toward the shore where Jesus was standing. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught." Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, [153 in count], but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to His disciples after He was raised from the dead. ~Jesus Reinstates Peter~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~JESUS REINSTATES PETER~ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love Me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed My lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love Me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, You know that I love You." Jesus said, "Take care of My sheep." The third time He said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was deeply hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love Me?" He said, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said, "Feed My sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then Jesus said to Peter, "Follow me!" ~Peter's Reinstatement Commentary~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~WHY DID JESUS ASK PETER 3 TIMES IF HE LOVED HIM?~ At the close of the feast, the Lord turned to Peter with this question, one that He repeated twice. On the night of the betrayal, when Christ intimated that His disciples would forsake Him in the trial He was about to suffer, Peter spoke up and asserted that though all others forsook Him he would never forsake Him. What Christ had said might be true of the rest, but he was so loving, faithful and true, that he would die for Him. Yet before the cock crow of the next morning he had thrice denied that he knew Jesus, even with his oaths. Such was the collapse of the confident disciple who loved the Master better than these other disciples. Since that fall, Christ had met with Peter among the rest of the disciples, but had not referred to this subject, but now has come the time for a restoration of Peter. Hence, He probes him with the question, "Lovest thou Me more than these?" That question would at once recall to Peter his boastful claim, his awful fall, and would pierce him to the heart. He no longer claims that he is the truest of the apostolic band, does not even affirm confidently, but answers, "Thou knowest my heart; thou knowest that I love thee." Then said the Savior, "Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto him, "Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love Thee." He saith unto him, "Feed my sheep." A second time the Lord probes Peter with the question. Then Christ again commissions him to work, "Feed My sheep." Not only the lambs, but he may look after the sheep of the fold, watch over the disciples of the Lord, young and old. Three times Peter had denied the Master (Mt 26: 70,72,74); three times the Master questions his love; three times He gives him charge concerning his work (John 21:15-17). The questioning was painful, Peter was grieved, but the grief was wholesome, and Peter's whole subsequent life bore proof of the discipline. His rashness was forever gone. Jesus saith unto him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me?" Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, "Lovest thou Me?" And he said unto Jesus, "Lord Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee." Jesus saith unto him, "Feed My sheep." ~PETER'S DEATH FORETOLD~ John 21:18-19 [Jesus said to Peter], "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not." Now that he is reinstated in the old confidence and charged with the Master's work, he is told that he will be called on to die for it. He will be girded not with a girdle, but with bonds, and he shall be led where he would not, unto death. [We see Jesus reveal the type of death Peter would suffer because of his faith in Jesus. Although it is not recorded in the Bible, many reliable, historical documents record that Peter was crucified. Peter specifically requested that he be crucified upside down because he "was not worthy to die like my Lord."] ~WHAT IS THAT TO YOU? FOLLOW ME!~ Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved [John] was following them. When Peter saw John, he asked Jesus, "Lord, what about [will happen to] him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me." Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?" ~NOT ENOUGH ROOM~ [At the end of his Epistle, John says] Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (John 21:25) ~Jesus Ascends To Heaven~ (Material in this section copied directly from several sources, in the very last drop down menu below.) ~JESUS TAKEN UP INTO HEAVEN~ When Jesus had led the disciples out to the vicinity of Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Jesus was then taken up before their very eyes into heaven. And a cloud hid Him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, Who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven." Then they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. ~Sources~ It is my sincerest hope that this has revealed the TRUE LOVE OF JESUS and how much He *TRULY* loves you! SOURCES: The Bible (NIV, Amplified, NKJV, KJV) Biblical Lexicon of Transliterated Word Meanings (http://www.search godsword.org) (1)http://www.whyeaster. com/story/palms. shtml (2)http://www.whyeaster.com /story/judas.shtml (3)http://www.whyeaster. com/story/supper.shtml (4)Beth Moore, "Jesus, the One and Only" p463 (5)http://www.whyeaster .com/story/ garden.shtml (6)Beth Moore,"Jesus, the One and Only" (pp 216-227;466, 467) (7)http://www.whyeaster .com/story/accus ations.shtml (8)http://www.why easter.com/story /pilate.shtml (9)http://www.why easter.com/story /finished.shtml (10)http://www.whyeaster .com/story/end .shtml (11)http://sernabible blog.blogspot.com/2007/06/ has-asked-to -sift-y.html (12)http://www.searchgods word.org/isb/bible .cgi?query=ac+1:18 &translation=kjv&ot= bhs&nt=na& sr=1&l=en (13)http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/Crucifixion (14)http://basicchristianity .wordpress.com/2008/ 11/18/genesis-84-a- picture-of-the-passover -lamb-jesus- christ/ (15)http://www.gotquestions .org/resurrection- accounts.html (16)"The God Chasers" pp 123-137, Tommy Tenney (17)http://pnt.biblecommenter .com/john/21.htm (18)http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/Saint_Peter (19)http://www.haderek.ca/ articles/way/thorns.htm (20)http://www.keyway.ca/ htm2004/20040317.htm (21)http://www.searchgodsword. org/com/tfg/view.cgi? book=lu&chapter=19 &verse=41#Lu19_41 (22)http://www.searchgodsword. org/com/bcc/view.cgi?book =lu&chapter=19&verse =41#Lu19_41 (23)http://www.jerusalem.com/article _419/Emperor-Titus-The- Man-Who-Destroyed-the -Temple (24)http://www.searchgodsword. org/com/bcc/view.cgi?book =lu&chapter=19& verse=41#Lu19_41 (25)http://mhcw.biblecommenter. com/luke/19.htm (26)http://biblecommenter. com/matthew/27-25. htm (27)http://74.125.95.132 /search?q=cache:rlDfpnLa 574J:www.hwcf-online. org/Sermons/Sermons/Glorify%2520 or%2520Crucify.pdf+ glorify+then+crucify& hl=en&ct=clnk&cd= 1&gl=us&client= firefox-a (28)http://www.rayfowler. org/sermons/the-road- to-jerusalem/the-triumphal -entry-into-jerusalem/ May God Bless You.